Purpose: This study was done to identify how stress concerning the care for elderly people affects geriatric nursing practice of nurses in general hospitals. Methods: Participants were 205 nurses who were working in general hospitals in C city. Data were collected through structured questionnaires from November 9 to November 20, 2015. Data analysis included one-way ANOVA, independent t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression using the SPSS/WIN 21.0 program. Results: Stress in caring for elderly patients affected geriatric nursing practice. Stress in the care of elders explained 12.4% (F=9.52, p<.001) of the variance in geriatric nursing practice. Conclusion: These results suggest that programs to decrease stress in the care of elders should be develop to improve the quality of geriatric nursing practice by nurses in general hospitals.