Aged-care nursing is a specialised field of nursing. Although care of the aged has been part of nursing since the beginning of the profession, it is only in more recent times that this specialty has ‘come of age’. With increased life expectancy, the aged population has grown markedly throughout the world. In parallel with this, a plethora of research means that nurses now have an ever-increasing database to guide their practice. No longer can effective nursing of the elderly rely on the ethical domain alone. Contemporary effective aged-care nursing now requires sound scientific knowledge if care is to be provided on a rational basis. This does not mean that ethical issues are neglected. On the contrary, a greater emphasis on sound evidence-based nursing practice in aged care means that nurses must incorporate their traditional ethical approach with sound modern scientific knowledge in an holistic model of care.