Describe Your Feelings and Beliefs on Aging in the United States Looking back from the time I started my nursing career to the present, I have seen how the image of the older adults has evolved from “the stereotypical views and images associated with ageing” (Grant, 2001, p. 777), to a more positive regard of the older population. In addition, Healthy People (HP) 2020’s focus on “maintaining the quality of life and wellness of older adults” (HP 2020, 2015) has set new targets for nursing education. Nursing faculty are urged to “integrate older adult content throughout nursing programmes to enhance nursing practice with an ageing population” (Baumbusch, Dahlke, & Phinney, 2012, p. 2550). At the same time, nursing faculty can role model positive
…show more content…
Also, numerous studies provide evidence that older adults’ needs are changing. Grant (2001) postulated that older adults are now keenly aware of ‘the benefits of maintaining a physically active lifestyle and how such behavior can contribute to quality of life and the feel better phenomenon” (p. 778). Thus, stereotypes of older adults of the past are now viewed as irrelevant as shown by older adults that live “longer lifespans, delayed retirement, and economic realities” (North, 2015, p. 994) that are in contrast to the realities of …show more content…
And, at the same time, “Inquiry into and curiosity about aging is as old as curiosity about life and death itself” (Ebersole & Hess, 2016, p. 19). As the number of the older population increases, nurses have to ensure that the evolving needs of the elderly are considered in the provision of their care. “Given the ageing … population, nurses will need to spend more of their time caring for older people. This constitutes a potential problem for the provision of health care to older patients if nurses’ attitudes towards working with this patient group have an impact on the type and quality of care provided” (McKinlay & Cowan, 2003, p. 299). Thus, the passage of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 had underscored the new roles of nurses not only in the acute care setting, but more so in the community (Ebersole & Hess, 2016). At the same time, the shift in the care for the older adult has also been defined in the goals and objectives of Healthy People 2020. With the changing demographics of the older population, comes the need for health promotion that would address the promotion of health and disease prevention. However, “If health promotion is to be effectively integrated in an organization, it has to be congruent with the underlying economic, socio-cultural and philosophical value system” (Kelly & Abraham, 2004, p. 571). Thus, “Nurses need to be receptive to the changing roles that they play in contemporary
Also, numerous studies provide evidence that older adults’ needs are changing. Grant (2001) postulated that older adults are now keenly aware of ‘the benefits of maintaining a physically active lifestyle and how such behavior can contribute to quality of life and the feel better phenomenon” (p. 778). Thus, stereotypes of older adults of the past are now viewed as irrelevant as shown by older adults that live “longer lifespans, delayed retirement, and economic realities” (North, 2015, p. 994) that are in contrast to the realities of …show more content…
And, at the same time, “Inquiry into and curiosity about aging is as old as curiosity about life and death itself” (Ebersole & Hess, 2016, p. 19). As the number of the older population increases, nurses have to ensure that the evolving needs of the elderly are considered in the provision of their care. “Given the ageing … population, nurses will need to spend more of their time caring for older people. This constitutes a potential problem for the provision of health care to older patients if nurses’ attitudes towards working with this patient group have an impact on the type and quality of care provided” (McKinlay & Cowan, 2003, p. 299). Thus, the passage of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 had underscored the new roles of nurses not only in the acute care setting, but more so in the community (Ebersole & Hess, 2016). At the same time, the shift in the care for the older adult has also been defined in the goals and objectives of Healthy People 2020. With the changing demographics of the older population, comes the need for health promotion that would address the promotion of health and disease prevention. However, “If health promotion is to be effectively integrated in an organization, it has to be congruent with the underlying economic, socio-cultural and philosophical value system” (Kelly & Abraham, 2004, p. 571). Thus, “Nurses need to be receptive to the changing roles that they play in contemporary