Ageism, Biases, Life Review & Ego Integrity Assignment Paper
Ageism, Biases, Life Review & Ego Integrity Assignment Paper
Ageism, Biases, Life Review & Ego Integrity Assignment Paper
Ageism, Biases, Life Review & Ego Integrity
A person’s age, culture, color, gender, and place of residence can greatly impact how comfortable a nurse feels speaking with them. Good communication is essential for understanding these disparities and giving the best care possible to these patients. Furthermore, societal and cultural biases may impact how we see and handle older adults. This essay aims to address how age, culture, color, gender, and living circumstances affect nursing communication, look at how older people are treated in society, and address aging biases and how they affect
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The Impact of Age, Culture, Race, Gender, and Living Situation on Nurse-Patient Communication Comfort.
Age is an essential consideration when communicating with patients. Nurses need good communication skills to establish patient trust and deliver high-quality care. Older patients may have specific communication needs due to hearing and vision limitations brought on by advancing age. As a result, nurses should communicate clearly and deliberately, use straightforward language, and repeat information as necessary. Younger patients, on the other hand, might need shorter and more direct explanations to understand their medical conditions.
Another important factor to take into account when communicating with patients is culture. Nurses must be conscious of cultural variations, values and beliefs when communicating with their patients. A solid foundation in understanding cultural competence prevents stereotypical beliefs and myopic thinking toward patients (The Chicago School, 2021). For instance, patients from certain cultures might feel uncomfortable discussing end-of-life care, sex and mental health, which may lead to stereotypes. Knowing cultural competence enables nurses to approach these topics with tact and care.
Race may also affect a nurse’s comfort level when speaking with a patient. Because of past racial discrimination or bias by healthcare professionals, some patients may now harbor mistrust and find it difficult to communicate effectively. According to Ollove (2022), most physicians prefer white patients over black patients. They believe white patients are more cooperative, whereas black patients are more distrustful and reluctant to follow medical advice. Nurses must be aware of these concerns by the patients and physicians to build a respectful and cooperative relationship with their patients to promote comfortable communication.
Another factor to take into account while communicating with patients is gender. With a nurse of the same gender, some patients might feel better at ease addressing particular health issues. As a result, nurses should consider their patients’ choices and offer options for same-gender caregivers as needed (Vatandost et al., 2020). The patient’s living situation can also affect how comfortable a nurse is when communicating with them. Patients with complicated medical needs, such as homelessness or poverty, may find it challenging to get the care they need. Nurses must approach these patients with empathy and a nonjudgmental attitude to promote comfort in their communication.
The Treatment of Older Adults in Family, Culture, Community, and Society
The treatment of older adults varies greatly depending on the family, culture, community, and society. Older adults are highly respected and valued for their life experience and wisdom in many societies and communities. However, in some cultures, they may be marginalized and undervalued (Donizzetti, 2019). While growing up about twenty years ago, there was a greater emphasis on caring for and respecting the elderly, but in recent times, the focus has shifted to individualism and independence, leading to a decrease in the importance placed on the elderly.
In my family and community, older adults are generally respected and taken care of, but a sense of independence and self-sufficiency is also encouraged. Society tends to view older adults as a burden on resources, which has led to ageism and discrimination in some areas, especially in terms of employment and healthcare (Donizzetti, 2019). There is a need for greater awareness and appreciation of the contributions and values of older adults as they continue to play an important role in our families, communities, and societies.
Aging Biases and How They Impact Nursing Practice
As people age, they may experience biases affecting their perception and treatment. These biases can be conscious or unconscious and can be perpetuated by individuals or society as a whole. Nurses may witness or experience aging biases in various forms, including ageism, stereotyping, and discrimination. Ageism is the belief that aging is inherently negative and that older people are inferior to younger people. This bias can manifest as negative attitudes, stereotypes, and discrimination toward older adults (Kang & Kim, 2022). In my nursing practice, I witnessed aging bias when one of my colleagues believed that older patients, especially those from low socioeconomic status, were incapable of making their decisions or that they were frail and unable to care for themselves. These assumptions resulted in the nurse making decisions on behalf of the patient rather than involving them in their care.
Stereotyping is another form of aging bias that can be observed in nursing practice. Stereotyping occurs when an individual assumes that all members of a particular group share certain characteristics or behaviors (Donizzetti, 2019). For example, a nurse may assume that all older adults are hard of hearing or forgetful. These assumptions can result in the nurse communicating with the patient in a disrespectful way. Furthermore, discrimination is treating someone unfairly based on their age. Discrimination can be overt, such as denying an older adult access to healthcare, or it can be subtle, such as not providing the same level of care to an older adult as a younger patient.
Aging biases have impacted my nursing practice both positively and negatively. Some of my colleagues’ negative attitude towards older adults has led to suboptimal care of the patients. The stereotypes have also affected communication and decision-making with older patients leading to unequal access to healthcare. On the positive side, these biases have led me to actively work to find a solution to combat them. I have taken the initiative to do more research on aging and advocated for policies that promote equality and access to healthcare for older adults.
Community Education Plan to Address Biases Towards Older Adults
Ageism and biases toward older adults are prevalent in many societies, leading to this population’s discrimination, marginalization, and exclusion. According to a WHO report, one in two persons worldwide has ageist attitudes toward older adults (Mills, 2021). It is essential to conduct a need assessment of the community to understand their current knowledge about ageism before making a community education plan. The community education plan addresses these biases by providing knowledge, skills, and resources to community members, service providers, and organizations.
The plan will be broken down into a timeline of 3 months, the first month of which will be devoted to gathering information and creating an educational campaign using resources, including booklets, brochures, and films. The campaign will be introduced in the coming second month, along with partnerships and community forums. In the last month, the campaign’s effectiveness will be assessed, a sustainability plan will be developed, and community members will continue to receive education and training. The objective is to raise consciousness and understanding, offer tools and tactics and lay the groundwork for ongoing initiatives to support older people’s inclusion, respect, and dignity in society.
Strategies of the Education Plan
The target audience of the plan includes community members of all ages, and service providers, such as healthcare professionals, social workers, caregivers, and organizations. Community events such as workshops, seminars, and panel discussions featuring experts and community members who have experienced ageism will be organized to raise awareness and promote understanding of ageism and biases towards older adults. Educational materials such as brochures, posters, and flyers will be developed and distributed in community centers, libraries, and other public spaces to provide information on ageism and biases toward older adults. Intergenerational activities such as sports events, arts and crafts, and community service projects will also be organized to bring together community members of different ages and provide opportunities for interaction with older adults.
Sensitivity training will be provided to service providers such as healthcare professionals, social workers, and caregivers to provide them with the knowledge and skills to recognize and address ageism and biases towards older adults in their work. Media campaigns such as advertisements, social media posts, and public service announcements will be developed to promote respect, dignity, and inclusion of older adults in the community. Advocacy work will also be done with organizations and government agencies to advocate for policies and programs that promote respect, dignity, and inclusion of older adults in the community.
Evaluation of the Education Plan
The effectiveness of the community education plan will be evaluated through surveys, focus groups, and other forms of feedback from the target audience. The feedback will be used to improve and modify the activities and materials to meet the community’s needs better. The community education plan will address ageism and biases towards older adults and promote respect, dignity, and inclusion of this population by providing knowledge, skills, and resources to community members, service providers, and organizations.
Conclusion
Good communication is essential in nursing, and it is critical to consider a patient’s age, culture, race, gender, and living situation to provide the best possible care. Cultural competence can prevent stereotyped views and improve communication. Nurses must be aware of and actively overcome aging biases such as ageism, stereotyping, and discrimination. A community education plan to address anti-elderly discrimination is critical for supporting older people’s inclusion, respect, and dignity in society.
References
Donizzetti A. R. (2019). Ageism in an aging society: The role of knowledge, anxiety about aging, and stereotypes in young people and adults. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(8), 1329. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16081329
Kang, H., & Kim, H. (2022). Ageism and psychological well-being among older adults: A systematic review. Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, 8, 233372142210870. https://doi.org/10.1177/23337214221087023
Mills, L. (2021, March 19). New WHO report calls out the global impacts of ageism. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/03/19/new-who-report-calls-out-global-impacts-ageism
Ollove, M. (2022, April 21). With implicit bias hurting patients, some states train doctors. Pew.org. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2022/04/21/with-implicit-bias-hurting-patients-some-states-train-doctors
The Chicago School. (2021). The importance of cultural competence in nursing. Insight Digital Magazine. https://www.thechicagoschool.edu/insight/health-care/the-importance-of-cultural-competence-in-nursing/
Vatandost, S., Cheraghi, F., & Oshvandi, K. (2020). Facilitators of professional communication between nurse and opposite gender patient: A content analysis. Mædica, 15(1), 45–52. https://doi.org/10.26574/maedica.2020.15.1.45
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Assignment Description:
Write a 1500-1700 word essay addressing each of the following points/questions. Be sure to completely answer all the questions for each bullet point. Separate each section in your paper with a clear heading that allows your professor to know which bullet you are addressing in that section of your paper. Support your ideas with at least two (2) sources in your essay. Make sure to reference the citations using the APA writing style for the essay. The cover page and reference page do not count toward the minimum word amount. Review the rubric criteria for this assignment.
Answer each of the following prompts:
How does a person’s difference in age, culture, race, gender, and living situation impact your comfort as a nurse in communicating with them?
While growing up, how were OAs (older adults) treated in your family, culture, community, and in society (identify the year range)?
Discuss what aging biases you have witnessed &/or experienced and describe how these issues have impacted your current nursing practice.
Create a community education plan to address biases towards older adults.
