Ageism In Health Care

Health Care Need With an influx of older patients due to the baby boomer generation, I can predict that there will be a increase in the amount of patient care we will have to deliver to a vastly aging population. Not only that, but due to increased medical technology and advances in medicine, people are living longer and surviving injuries at better outcomes and rates. What does this mean for us? We are the next wave of nurses that are going to be employed at facilities that are going to care for these patients. This presents both an opportunity and crisis for younger, newer nurses. This will provide our generation of nurses with more employment and room for advancement in the field. However, as we start to filter in to our health care roles, we are coming in with a more modern and fresh perspective on nursing which may alter our view on patient care. …show more content…
Ageism is defined discrimination against people because of their increasing age. This is comparable to people who are racist against people of certain skin color and descent. 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, “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,