How to Overcome Aging Biases in Hospitals

Knowledge maybe dynamic but experiences remain forever as imprinted memories in our minds improving with each subsequent exposure. Experiences can effectively influence the service delivery of an individual as well as change their perspective on various issues. My interaction with the patients of divergent social, cultural and biological characteristics coined this theory beyond reasonable doubt. They displayed dissimilar cultural backgrounds, having different age numbers, originating from different races, gender and living conditions. 

Working in a such an inclusive environment does not only require one to be committed but also demands one to be knowledgeable, sensitive, proactive, skilled, vigilant, respectful and positively motivated by taking care for the elderly. Different values were instilled in me during my interaction with those groups and they have guided and impacted my practice since then and helped improve my communication comfort. The impacts have been on both the extremities-the positive and the negative. 

Firstly, there was a great improvement in my social skills including interpersonal relations. Striking a good conversation with your patients gets them to be at ease and even be confident with you. This rapport can lead to great unexpected opening up and hence release of the much-needed information for guiding the treatment. Mastering the art of social interaction is a process which if successfully completed will positively impact the lives of health caregivers especially nurses. My patients’ fear of spending more than required time in my office is always greater than the fear they have for their ailments. Secondly, my knowledge scope and skills improved enormously. For example, interacting with non-identical races, it was evident that there were specific ailments that could be associated with certain races. Also, the different living condition would attract, unlike diseases. These finding could further be justified by geographical locations, diet, and nutrition, ability to afford medicines and susceptibility of the body to the illnesses. This is research I have continued exploring to date with new breakthroughs being experienced and more potentially on the reach. These discoveries have boosted my self-confidence and comfortability in associating with the patients. Health care has never been more intriguing. 

Thirdly, dealing with large groups of people requires one to have good planning and implementation skills. Different departments may require the professional expertise of a nurse at certain times. This calls for the ability to correctly allocate time frames without favor, bias or omission. Additionally, being flexible is another value that one should inarguably possess as a health caregiver. Often, one is called upon when emergencies arise or their expertise is crucial for the survival of a patient. In such a scenario there can be compromising of both the schedule and operation regulations. It is therefore of great importance to learn these skills since I can attest they are critical during health care deliverance. For instance, attending to a mother in labor will be of much priority as compared to a patient complaining of mild stomach upset. As a result of these indispensable values, I emerged as a good time manager too. Time is of the essence in patient attendance and consequently a valuable and at the same time scarce factor that should be utilized rightly. 

In addition, having learned how to interact with the many groups of people, it was evident that each one of them needed a separate level of investigation and treatment. This was the knowledge that compelled me to initiate what I called "thorough investigations drive." It maximizes the potential of correct diagnosis and reduces the chances of misdiagnosis. Some patients will have the disease and fail to present any symptoms while others will not be able to identify the signs present. So as to avoid misdiagnosis and wrong treatment, a health care nurse should carry out a thorough examination of the patient to ascertain any given information and disqualify others. These paramount practices have sharpened my accuracy and improved my reliability in delivering legitimate and informed results. 

Finally, I became aware of evaluation as a crucial portion of an effective and efficient health care delivery system. It is difficult to identify one's successes, improvements, and failures without evaluation. Similarly, personal strengths and weaknesses are recognized through evaluation. Being aware of oneself enhances health care provision because one is charged with what they can do best and with ease maximizing benefits. The evaluation also helps consider the conditions surrounding the health facilities and their environment as a potential source of diseases. As a health care provider, several factors including personal and environmental come into play for a successful and fruitful community service delivery. 

Part 2: Discuss what aging biases you have witnessed &/or perpetrated . 

Estimates have the statistics that half of all the hospital admissions are the elderly. This is a very crucial and indispensable part of health care provision known as geriatric care. As one progresses in age, their body becomes susceptible to both acute and chronic illnesses. Great care is therefore needed to monitor the failing health and enhance early detection of diseases, prevent deterioration of existing conditions and preventing further complications. Due to their condition, the aged can be treated with discrimination, prejudice and stereotyping. They can be institutionalized or the society at large can be the perpetrators. 

An old granny once visited the health facility where I was working. We were very busy working on an emergency in the labor ward but fortunately, there was a nurse intern attached to the facility. She went on to attend to the old seemingly sick woman. The young nurse asked the lady her name but she didn’t get the question. She was partially deaf. The woman kept on asking the lady to repeat what she was saying. Finally, the nurse grew impatient and shouted at her to move out. This prejudicial attitude by the nurse was uncalled for. The aged needs effective communication and understanding. They should be given time and space to express themselves in the best way possible. 

In workplaces, this discrimination is very evident. It will not be surprising if an old experienced geriatric nurse can be laid off just because she cannot be able to attend a night duty due to cold only to be replaced by a fresh graduate who is more active but inexperienced. During the aging process, despite the knowledge and experiences, one tends to become overly passive. Since many institutions are production driven which is proportional to the activeness of the employees, the majority of the employers overlook the experience and skills competence in favor of their passive nature deeming them unproductive. Retaining the old in any organization would be of paramount importance because would orient the junior staff imparting their expansive range of skills, knowledge, and experience. Additionally, this disregard for the aged in the organizations is accompanied by ignoring their ideas and dismissing them as "old." The reverence that was accorded to the aged in the African societies was very deep. The old was known to be the custodian of the community' cultural history, linguistics, and traditions. This is undergoing a rapid significant change with the old now being regarded with despise and as weak and undeserving individuals. 

Some societies go to the extent of denying the aged their democratic right of voting. Stripping them of such right is a grave violation of the constitution. The constitution only gives the minimum age of a voter but does not include the maximum age. 

I once told an old man that he should take a bath little did I know that these people need to be taken care of. Mostly, even in their homes they live alone in seclusions and subsequently cannot be able to get the good looking clothes or afford to take a bath. Alternatively, they give up and let nature take its course. Being kind, sympathetic, patient and providing privacy are some of the values that geriatric care providers should possess for better results. It is so unfortunate that some of the health institutions despite receiving frequent visits by the aged, they have not found any reason to find trained personnel in the field. It is therefore paramount and a matter of urgency to introduce the specialization for the training of people who will take care of the vulnerable population. Educating both the elderly on the personal care and the public on the importance of fair treatment of the aged will bring the much-anticipated cooperation and general wellbeing of this vulnerable population. 

Part 3: Create a community education plan to address aging bias 

The rate of discrimination of the old is alarming and should be controlled. The best way is educating the community the process of aging and making them understand that they will end there too. It’s just a matter of time. Different age brackets should be addressed differently to enhance understanding. However, the focus should be on children. 

Community education plan sample 

References 

Geldenhuys, J. (2016). Challenges faced by an aging South Africa. In Ageing Populations and Changing Labour Markets (pp. 203-228). Routledge. 

Holland, K. (2017). Cultural awareness in nursing and health care: an introductory text. Routledge. 

Kagan, S. H., & Melendez ‐ Torres, G. J. (2015). Ageism in nursing. Journal of Nursing Management, 23(5), 644-650. 

Kydd, A., & Fleming, A. (2015). Ageism and age discrimination in health care: Fact or fiction? A narrative review of the literature. Maturitas, 81(4), 432-438. 

Solem, P. E. (2016). Ageism and age discrimination in working life. Nordic Psychology, 68(3), 160-175.