Society continues to witness an increase in the number population of the older generation. The group requires healthcare services, especially given that they are prone to diseases such as diabetes, heart problems, and others associated with old age. Over the past years, the cost of healthcare has increased in the US which has prompted the government to establish various programs such as the Affordable Care Act and MEDICARE for the elderly. A number of ethical issues associated with providing healthcare services for those above the age of sixty-five exist. When faced with health care challenges on an aging population, it is essential that ethical issues are addressed to avoid negative implications in the future.
One of the issues facing the elderly population is lack of resources or finances for treatment. As working individuals age, they save up for their retirement, and in most situations, they end up using their savings for other purposes. By the time they reach sixty-five years, they may have exhausted their savings; hence making it difficult for them to access better medical facilities (Hayutin, Dietz & Mitchell, 2010). The financial burden may go to their children who may be struggling to pay other bills. However, the government enacted the MEDICARE Act to provide insurance to them whenever they receive medication in hospitals. As a result, it lowers financial burden from them as well as their families; hence enabling them to obtain affordable and quality healthcare services. The government should provide continuous support to the elderly to ensure that they are in a position to comfortably finance their access to quality healthcare services and care.
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Another issue that faces the aging population and that affects them is cultural bias. Nurses are prone to stereotyping as they go about their duties in providing care to the elderly. In most situations, they have their beliefs and values about aging, and this will affect the manner in which they attend to the old-aged (Bennett & Flaherty-Robb, 2003). Different individuals view the concept of aging in different ways, and this determines how they interact with them. In most situations, biases may influence nurses’ and healthcare workers’ decisions to withhold treatment and informed consent. However, they should remain professional and treat the elderly the same manner that they would have when dealing with younger patients. Nurses and other medical practitioners need to examine the partialities and change them during their daily practice.
Another issue is caring for fragile elders in long-term care. One of the ethical problems, in this case, is end-of-life care where nurses and medical practitioners should decide whether to provide treatment to patients against their dying wishes (Johnstone, Hutchinson, Redley & Rawson, 2016). In some situations, older adults have critical conditions whose treatment might be considered a waste of resources. Some countries allow for consensual termination of lives other than to have the patients suffer and waste their monetary resources on treatment that may not work in the end. In countries where this is legal, patients have a right to make the decision. However, nurses and medical practitioners should ensure that they provide proper medical care to the elderly even in their deathbeds.
In conclusion, provision of quality healthcare services to the elderly is a responsibility of nurses and other healthcare workers. With the increase in the old age population in several countries, various ethical issues arise in providing care to them. Nurses and other healthcare workers should uphold professionalism when dealing with elderly patients. Furthermore, the government should support this sector to ensure that the old age also receive proper and affordable medical care. The challenges that face the provision of healthcare services to the elderly include limited financial resources, end-of-life care, and cultural issues and these should be adequately addressed.
References
Bennett, J. A., & Flaherty-Robb, M. (2003). Issues affecting the health of older citizens: Meeting
the challenge. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing , 8 (2), 2.
Hayutin, A. M., Dietz, M., & Mitchell, L. (2010). New realities of an older America: challenges,
changes and questions . Stanford Center on Longevity.
Johnstone, M. J., Hutchinson, A. M., Redley, B., & Rawson, H. (2016). Nursing roles and
strategies in end-of-life decision making concerning elderly immigrants admitted to acute care hospitals: an Australian study. Journal of Transcultural Nursing , 27 (5), 471-479.
