Ageism in Nursing - Research Paper Example

Introduction Contemporary medical technology and increased abilities of health care professionals to address health-related concerns of people have evidently led to a significant increase in the number of people who are considered of old age, or the aged. In research conducted by Bloom, Boersch-Supan, McGee and Seike (2011), the authors have acknowledged that “population aging is taking place in every country in the world” (p. 2). In the study, three specifically identified factors have apparently contributed to the trend, to wit: (1) increased longevity; (2) declining fertility; and (3) the aging of the “baby boom” generations [Blo11]. The fact that this segment of the global population has manifested increased resilience and successful ability to adapt and adjust to the changing demands of the times makes health care practitioners aware that there are current and future implications of the trend. In this regard, the current discourse hereby aims to present further research on the topic of ageism, particulary, the potential causes and consequences and how contemporary society addresses it. The essay would initially provide a brief literature review on the subject; in conjunction with a presentation of definition of relevant terms and concerns that have emerged on the topic. Subsequently, the scope of the paper would be defined as well as the purpose and outcomes of this research. Finally, the value and limitations of the study would also be presented. Literature Review Ageing is a term that was reportedly coined by Robert Butler in 1969 [Cha02]. Accordingly, it was originally synonymous with terms such as other forms of bigotry, sexism, or racism to the point that it was originally defined as “a process of systematic stereotyping and discrimination against people because they are old” [Cha02]. The contemporary definition of the term, therefore, was cited from Palmore (1990) as “any prejudice or discrimination against or in favor of an age group” (cited in Chapin, Nelson-Becker, Gordon, & Terrebonne, 2002, p. 3). Current statistics which were revealed in the study written by Bloom, Boersch-Supan, McGee, and Seike (2011) have disclosed some relevant findings, to wit: “while aging is taking place in almost all countries of the world, rich or poor, very high longevity is still a matter of very high income levels” (p. 4). In fact, the country identified to manifest the highest shares of aged population (those with citizens 60 years old and above) was Japan as of 2011 and projected way into 2050. Likewise, in addition to the challenges facing the size and quality of workforce who would be qualified and competent to address ageism, other challenges which were noted included addressing non-communicable diseases and pension issues, to name a few. Different studies have been conducted to closely examine relevant issues that pertain to ageing in contemporary times. Authors Kane and Kane (2005) have delved into disparities related to ageism between long-term care and acute care as well as issues related to age-based rationing. Another study by Nolan (2011) examined dimensions of ageing and belonging as well as the effects of ageism. The various challenges faced by health care practitioners in addressing diverse needs and health-related issues of the aged population were expounded by Bloom, Boersch-Supan, McGee, and Seike (2011). There were negative myths and stereotypes that were also apparently presented by Palmore (1990) which have been vividly clarified through presentation of facts on concerns such as illness, impotency, ugliness, mental decline, mental illness, uselessness, isolation, poverty, depression, and political power [Cha02]. The causes of ageism was expounded through identifying the factors that allegedly contributed to its perpetuation. It was noted that culture, media, language and the perception of old age have led to enforcement of stereotyped beliefs on the aged population. Among the language or colloqualist terms apparently associated with the older population are: “"geezer," "old fogey," "old maid," "dirty old man," and "old goat"”[Cha02]. Other contributory factors to ageism that were identified include institutions (organizations which preclude aged people from being promoted or from being hired); a reported focus of the American health care system on acute care and cure, rather than practicing chronic care which is identified to be most needed by this segment of the population; and government policies that seem to skew regulations and benefits to other sectors more than to the elderly [Cha02]. Likewise, another factor that was noted to perpetuate ageism was human service professionals who allegedly limit or curtail inclusion of crucial services and training for social service professionals in addressing geriatric concerns. As such, the negative stereotyped beliefs add to the dilemma and non-disclosure or dissemination of factual information on the aged population likewise enforced incorrect beliefs that exacerbate the understanding about the subject matter. It was also presented that there are consequences of ageism including conformity to the negative image, reducing social activities, not seeking prescribed medical treatment and giving in to poverty. As emphasized, “this internalization of a negative image can result in the elderly person becoming prejudiced against him/herself, resulting in loss of self-esteem, self-hatred, shame, depression, and/or suicide in extreme cases” [Cha02]. There are other consequences noted which stemmed from stereotyped beliefs: lesser health care practitioners in the geriatric field due to the perception that health concerns of older people are more difficult and challenging to handle and that the rate paid for geriatric practitioners were relatively less (Nolan, 2011; Kane & Kane, 2005). As mentioned, “geriatricians regulariy complain that the time they spend evaluating a patient's lengthy history and medication use, and the time they spend ommunicating with a patient in complicated circumstances and with a complex set of medical conditions, and the patient's family, is woefully inadequately reimbursed” [Kan05]. Another important effect was emphasized by Nolan: “even when a health professional chooses to treat older patients, ageism may contribute to lower standards of care” (2011, p. 334). This means that appropriate and accurate diagnosis and intervention might not be rendered due to the misconceptions noted about aging. Thus, other effects include undertreatment or inaccessbility to innovative or clinical drug trials even when these could potentially be beneficial to the aged population. In fact, it was explicitly revealed that “the systematic exclusion of older people from clinical trials is a flagiant example of ageism. Most trials, even those that specifically target therapies frequently used for older people, try actively to exclude from eligibility people with multiple diseases and conditions, which might complicate the analysis and interpretation of the data and dampen the effects being sought” [Kan05]. To counter or address the dilemma concerning ageism, Chapin, Nelson-Becker, Gordon, and Terrebonne (2002) have simply recommended targetting the root causes or the factors which apparently perpetuated it: “the media, popular culture, and institutions such as business, government, and human service systems. Underlying all of these systems are ageist attitudes held by individuals who participate in these systems. Therefore, changing individual ageist attitudes is a fundamental approach to reducing ageism” (p. 8). Another method which was suggested was to focus on education by incorporating issues and concerns relative to ageism in children’s curriculum; by enhancing grandparent – grandchildren interaction; through facilitiating more opportunities for intergenerational contact; and by re-educating health care practitioners on ageism in the work setting [Nol11]. Defining the Scope of the Paper The current paper hereby discusses the causes, consequences, and ways to counter ageism in contemporary times. Through the review of related literature on the subject, more in-depth understanding on these concerns has been achieved. Likewise, despite the magnanimity research conducted on the subject, the scope of the current discourse only focuses on the areas identified and where only as much as seven authoritative sources of secondary research on ageism have been more closely evaluated; and which served as supporting information to validate the findings. Documentation of Definitions The very first definition of ageism, when Butler (1969) was noted to have coined the term was revealed as: “’prejudice of one age group toward the other age groups’ and compared it to racism and classism, but he noted that, unlike racism or classism, ageism was overlooked by society” (p. 243). The original modified definition of ageism, as it was reportedly conceived by Butler (1975) is hereby cited: Ageism can be seen as a process of systematic stereotyping and discrimination against people because they are old, just as racism and sexism accomplished this for color and gender . . . . Ageism allows the younger to see older people as different from themselves, thus they subtly cease to identify their elders as human beings.[But75] Since the pioneer in studies on ageism was noted to be Butler (1969), it was appropriate that the definitions on ageism should be appropriately cited: one came from the book entitled Why Survive? Being Old in America and the other original definition was acknowledged to be sources from a peer-reviewed journal, Gerontologist, with the article entitled “Age-Ism: Another Form of Bigotry” [But69]. Additional definitions of ageism were noted to have been provided by Palmore (1990) from his book entitled Ageism: Negative and positive. Other terms which were defined within the realm of studies on ageism include disparities, age-based rationing, difference between acute care and long-term care, as well as subtle ageism [Kan05]. It was revealed that “disparity reflects ageism only if the reason for the difference is age alone” [Kan05]. Describing the Purpose and Outcomes To reiterate, the purpose of the current study was specifically to present further research on the topic of ageism; particularly the potential causes and consequences and how contemporary society addresses it. From the research, it was revealed that the causes or perpetuating factors for ageism was actually categorized into media, popular culture, language, institutions, the health care system, human service professionals, and the stereotyped beliefs on ageism. For example, as emphasized, “other government policies which reinforce ageism include use of a higher federal poverty standard for the elderly and, job training targeted for younger age groups. Another example is the use of state welfare funds which are often targeted at children and adolescents, excluding equivalent services for older adults such as adult protective services and geriatric mental health services” [Cha02]. As such, these government policies and regulations must be revisited, re-evaluated and appropriately revised to incorporate measures that address the plight and conditions of the older population on a more equal footing with other sectors and age groups. The consequences were far more encompassing and ranges from generating negative outcomes from the older generations’ perspectives and those which affect addressing crucial health-related concerns and services offered by health care practitioners and human services professionals. Concurrently, the recommended measures to counter ageism should be used by those who perpetuate ageism to counter it. It was aptly suggested that “the antidote at the individual level is to strive to attend closely to that older person, avoiding surrogate sources of information, and the antidote at the societal level is to avoid policies that base treatments on age alone” [Kan05]. Thus, education is noted as an effective means to enhance awareness of various constituents to enable the sorting of stereotyped beliefs versus facts on the subject. Likewise, establishing a more intimate and genuine intergenerational relationship would assist in gaining a more factual knowledge of the older segment of the population to verify the veracity of these stereotyped beliefs and to validate from one’s viewpoint the facts which should become the theoretical framework of future code of conduct, behavior, and actions that must be manifested to counter ageism. In terms of public policy reforms, areas which were looked into that could be changed to counter ageism include revisions of retirement age; reviewing the amount and coverage of pensions; and access to health care systems. Business organizations and other public institutions could focus on shifting attitudes towards a more receptive and assuming an anti-discriminatory work culture. As noted, “in designing business organizations of the future, the private sector – with appropriate public-policy support – should anticipate, rather than passively await, this trend toward longer lifespans and older employees” [Blo11]. The Value and Limitations The value of the current study could be viewed in terms of highlighting the causes and consequences as well as measures which counter ageism. Through the current study, one was able to gather commonalities in the subject areas identified, as written and divulged from various authoritative sources. Thereby, the implications of the current study include using the information in assisting towards a more in-depth understanding of ageism through tracing its evolutionary concept and how it transcended through time. In addition, the information could be used by those identified to perpetuate ageism (institutions, health care practitioners, and human services professionals) in re-evaluating current policies and regulation to address the issues that were identified. The limitations of the current discourse include confinement to a limited number of peer-reviewed journals and secondary sources of authoritative information which provided the information for the research. Likewise, due to time constraints, it was not possible to conduct other research methods using primary sources that could have assisted in verifying and validating the information which were gathered. Therefore, future research on the subject could use similar review of literature as a conceptual framework; yet, primary sources of information could provide validating methods to determine the reliability and credibility of the outcome. For instance, future research could be undertaken using interviews and questionnaires as additional sources of primary information; to be conducted within an identified population or through random sampling, as deemed appropriate. Conclusion Ageism has been confirmed in various research studies to continue to pervade contemporary societies. With the information gathered from different studies which delved into ageism, including the concerns exhibited in the health care setting, the facts, challenges and responses to an increasing trend towards population aging, the causes, consequences, counter measures and the dimensions and effects of aging, the current essay has provided illuminating details on the subject matter. As such, this information should be appropriately used by policymakers to appropriately and effectively address the root causes of ageism – the perpetuators, to consciously and intentionally counter its debilitating effects. References Blo11: , (Bloom, Boersch-Supan, McGee, & Seike, 2011), Cha02: , (Chapin, Nelson-Becker, Gordon, & Terrebonne, 2002), Cha02: , (Chapin, Nelson-Becker, Gordon, & Terrebonne, 2002, p. 3), Cha02: , (Chapin, Nelson-Becker, Gordon, & Terrebonne, 2002, p. 4), Cha02: , (Chapin, Nelson-Becker, Gordon, & Terrebonne, 2002, p. 7), Kan05: , (Kane & Kane, 2005, p. 51), Nol11: , (Nolan, 2011), But75: , (Butler, Why Survive? Being Old in America, 1975, p. 12), But69: , (Butler, Age-Ism: Another Form of Bigotry, 1969), Kan05: , (Kane & Kane, 2005), Kan05: , (Kane & Kane, 2005, p. 50), Cha02: , (Chapin, Nelson-Becker, Gordon, & Terrebonne, 2002, p. 4), Kan05: , (Kane & Kane, 2005, p. 53), Blo11: , (Bloom, Boersch-Supan, McGee, & Seike, 2011, p. 9), Read More