Ageism In Nursing

What is the problem? Aging is a natural process that happens to each and every one of us. However, this becomes a challenge for young nurses. What do you think of when you hear that you will be the nurse of a 97 year old patient? Do you automatically think that the patient will be confused, agitated, very frail, very ill, or dependent? It is okay, many us do. There is where we need to be more aware and change our views. Working in a hospital myself, I tend to assume the same. I also hear a lot of people who are surprised when they discover that their patient does not fit into this mold. I believe that geriatric care will emerge to be one of the most sought after specialty in nursing. Unfortunately, “there is a severe and sustained shortage

Not just in the hospital, but in any part of their in general. Often the older adult is seen as confused and forgetful, poor, chronically ill, frail or disabled, unfriendly and grumpy, deaf and blind, and dependent. Changing nursing views on this issue and not forming biases towards this population will improve the care provided. It is important to differentiate your personal views while working in the healthcare industry. You must be culturally sensitive and not pass judgement on your patients. Our attitudes are formed by our past experiences in different situations, but as professional nurses, it is time to change and be able to recognize and find ways to improve negative attitudes and stereotypes towards aging. Not only in the acute care setting, but also in the subacute and home setting. “Given the increasing number of older adults in health care settings, forming positive attitudes toward them and gaining specialized knowledge about aging and their health care needs are priorities for all nurses. It is critical for you to learn to respect older adults and actively involve them in care decisions and activities.” (Korem,

Ageism is defined as having an attitude that discriminates, separates, stigmatizes, or otherwise disadvantages older adults on the basis of chronologic age (Ageism, 2009). This is an act of singling out a certain population and choosing to providing unequal opportunities and treatment just because of a person’s age. In our situation, “Seniors admitted to acute hospitals are more likely to have multiple chronic diseases, as well as impaired cognition and higher levels of dependency (including mobility) than younger adults. Acute hospitals frequently present a “hostile environment” that leads to functional decline in the frail elderly and a “cascade of dependency” that results in approximately one-third of older patients losing independent functioning in one or more activities of daily living. This decline is not related to acute illnesses but to the adverse effects of modern therapy and current hospital practices, which are designed for younger people.” (Huang, Larente, Morais,