Ageism And Stereotypes Of Health Care Essay

Stereotypes of aging greatly affect older adult’s. Although, stereotypes can be both positive and negative, there is a negative stigma associated with aging. Many associate old age with forgetfulness, ill health and poor mental and physical function. According to Berke (2013), “Stereotype threat—the fear of being judged on the basis of a negative stereotype—can trigger anxiety that interferes with performance” (p.314). For example, people judge, the elderly’s failure in memory. If an older person can’t find their cell phone, one may think they are becoming senile. However, if a younger person can’t remember where they placed their cell phone it isn’t a big deal, they don’t have a serious memory problem. Berek (2013) also states, “In a survey

A new culture of ageism is now in the medical world. So many Canadians look down on seniors that ageism has become the most tolerated form of social discrimination in Canada. Health care professionals like Nathan Stall, a future geriatrics specialist and Carrie Willkies, a registered nurse are both against this new norm. In both pieces, the central idea is clear, “The Eradication of Ageism in health care”.

It is important to understand that patients have been experiencing aging bias for a very long time. It is also evident in the medical profession as well, and one needs to do more to ensure that everyone is treated fairly especially the elderly patients. The elderly patients need to treat with the utmost respect and dignity. One needs to understand that the elderly are the ones who pave the way for the younger generation. Therefore, it is important that one takes the time out of their busy assignments to listen to what the older patients have to say and respond to them in an appropriate manner. This paper will discuss how aging has impact one nursing practice, aging bias that one has witnessed during their nursing practice, and a community plan to discuss aging bias.

My reflection piece is based on a situation I observed during practical placement on an elderly ward. I observed an elderly patient with her family, whist the patient was getting assessed, to determine if the patient was suffering from severe memory loss. She received a cognitive examination and a mental capacity assessment. During these assessments the family were answering on behalf of the patient. I believe that the family felt that due to the patient’s age, she was incapable of answering for herself. This completely disempowered her. (To see full reflection piece, see appendix one).

Children should be taught from an early age to treat the elderly with respect and dignity, and it should be carried with them throughout life. Sadly, these great dignities have been forgotten in today 's society. As nurses, we must be able to offset prejudice against older persons and improve the quality of healthcare by educating patients, families, and other healthcare staff about the effects of ageism and by advocating for the delivery of unbiased cared toward the OA. Being a caregiver can be a tough responsibility, it can be emotionally and physically taxing. It demands devotion and patience that can be exhausting but showing respect and dignity is always the best choice, as well as be considerate. Caring of our elderly takes knowledge. By understanding what happens in the mind, body, and the different phases one goes through as they age, we can better help in caring for our seniors. To reduce ageism, medical professionals should become aware of the subtle forms of ageism inside themselves.

The aim of this essay is to provide the audience with an understanding of ageism in healthcare by critically analyzing the impact of ageism on the delivery of nursing care for the older person. This essay will be based from the perspective of the impact of a registered nurse’s ageist behaviour on the older patient, the nursing care of the older patient and the impact on colleagues in the health care team. This essay will also discuss theories and relevant principles of ageism, nursing care and the health care environment as well as Identifying and explaining two strategies that are effective in addressing ageism in health care.

Myths and stereotypes about aging are illness, impotency, ugliness, mental decline, uselessness. The myth about illness is when you get old you are sick and disabled. Impotency has

The internalization of aging stereotypes begins in childhood and carries with them expectations about their own aging process. A child who adopts prejudice is taking over attitudes and stereotypes from his family or cultural environment. The internalization of aging stereotypes is further facilitated by the likelihood of their being reinforced. When individuals reach old age, the aging stereotypes internalized in childhood become

She would oftentimes refuse, countering their offers of help by claiming she was more than capable of completing daily tasks herself. While my family members had good intentions, they were inadvertently underestimating the ability of my grandma. Another instance of ageism occurred when I first discovered a friend of mine was attending medical school as an aspiring geriatric physician. My initial reaction was, “Of all the other interesting health care fields to go into, why would you devote your life to geriatric care?” It was wrong for me to think this way, yet it was still a thought that popped up. In a mental health article titled, “Let 's Call Mental Health Stigma What It Really Is: Discrimination”, a psychological phenomenon nicknamed the “why try effect” is discussed (Holmes, 2017). Simply put, the “why try effect” is “self-stigma [...] composed of three steps: awareness of the stereotype, agreement with it, and applying it to one’s self” (Corrigan, Larson, & Rusch, 2009). It is the concept that explains how one’s mindset has a way of working itself into reality, and that what one perceives to be true is not always accurate. For instance, three out of every five people consider older people as lonelier than younger people, and “while connection to the family is essential to preventing loneliness in older people, only one out of eight older people reported feeling lonely” (Brown, 2015). After taking note of these

Aging should not be a weakness but instead a strength for an individual. With age comes wisdom, we jump to stereotypes and conclusions believing an elderly is weak mentally and physically. Our chapter mentioned how elderly become less confident with their memory due to stereotype threat. Since this reduces memory performance as we age. In addition, stereotype threat is a condition when people conform to the stereotypes of a social group (Whitbourne,2014).

Unfortunately, attitudes exist throughout today’s society that cause younger individuals to overlook the needs of older adults, as they are often seen as a burden. Ageism is a growing concern amongst the current population of older adults. Hirst, Lane & Miller (2015) define ageism as negative stereotyping towards older adults solely due to their age. Older adults are continually being minimized, made to feel as if they aren’t worthy. It is especially evident in health care facilities, whether it is long-term care homes or hospital settings. Hirst, Lane & Miller (2015) found in a review of studies that older adults are more likely to receive less aggressive treatment for ailments due to people holding onto the belief that common ailments are

There are many stereotypes about the elderly generation, unfortunately people seem to think that when you're older you're not as important as you are when you're younger. One of many stereotypes about elderly people is that older people are sweet and kind and at peace with the world. That's hilarious because there are several elderly people that can be rude or mean. Another stereotype that older people can't learn. What do you mean older people can't learn? Anybody can learn! Another ridiculous stereotype is that all elderly people are sweet and kind and at peace with the world. Well they must not know the people that I take care of every day at my facility, because let me tell you older people can be just as nasty as younger people. That's

Older people have the capacity to improve society through their experience. Yet their apparent age has connotations of limitations believed by many, even by older people themselves. It may be assumed that older people in society are incapable of independence. This may be due to the presence and maintenance of older age stereotypes. These negative generalisations affect the older population negatively (Nelson, 2016). Since they can lead elderly people to believe they are incapable due to their age as the main factor. This causes older people to less fulfilling lives that negatively affects their health.

Sometimes a healthcare professional may have preconceived ideas about elderly clients and disregard what they may say to them. This is a form of ageism that

Social workers usually focus on adaption, to new experiences, issues, and even losses. An overpowering approach emphasizes how people use their strengths to survive, adapt to new experiences, and learn to appreciate the positive aspects of these new experiences. The second aspect is competence, and the social worker can help older adults focus on and emphasize what they can do and what they cannot do. Each individual should appreciate his or her own level of competence. Relatedness, is concept, involves the sense of belonging and relating to other people. Adaption for the elderly is usually related directly to having to rely on medication for the rest of their life, or having to rely on strangers for daily living needs. It appears that every juncture, an elderly