Challenging Ageism: Overcoming Stereotypes in Healthcare
Kathleen Li
6/18/20243 min read
As America ages, ageist stereotypes often cloud the lens through which healthcare providers view older adults. Misconceptions that providers have can have extremely detrimental effects on the health and well-being of the senior, impacting the overall quality of care seniors receive. It's time to challenge these misconceptions and stereotypes the healthcare system has of seniors and ensure that every senior is treated with respect and dignity throughout their care journey.
Defining Ageism
The term "ageism" embodies society's unease with aging, illness, and mortality. It's a label slapped onto people simply due to aging, a process that everyone on this Earth will undergo eventually. Ageism can be directed towards any age group, however, in recent years, it is a term that is mostly represented in the older population, as it is common for them to be viewed as frail, weak, and dependent on care.
Ageism in healthcare is extremely prevalent. It is very common for a provider to brush off an older patient's symptoms and health issues as a result of aging, leading to overtreatment and undertreatment of a patient's health conditions. Additionally, ageism in healthcare can lead to a variety of problems for older adults, including:
More emergency room visits
Longer hospital stays
More hospitalizations
Misdiagnosis
Increased stress
Lack of communication between patient and provider
Mental health issues
Common Stereotypes in Healthcare
Healthcare providers all have a biased view of their patients, whether it be intentional or subconsciously. Some common stereotypes that providers may have when working with older adults include:
Challenging to care for and work with
Frail
Forgetful
Resistant to change
Stubborn
These stereotypes revolving around older patients can be incredibly harmful, promoting a lack of engagement between providers and seniors.
Impact of Stereotypes in Healthcare
There is adequate evidence for how doctors and nurses show bias against older patients in treatment, diagnosis, and interactions. For example, a study in England discovered that older lung cancer patients were less likely to be recommended for surgery compared to younger patients. This is despite evidence showing that age doesn't affect recovery after surgery. Doctors also showed a bias against older patients in terms of diagnostic tests, possibly because they were hesitant to perform invasive procedures on them due to the assumption that they don't have the capability to recover as well as younger people. This example illustrates how ageism can impact healthcare decisions, leading to disparities in treatment based on age rather than medical need.
Additionally, research has shown that nurses have less accurate knowledge about the aging process. Compared to other healthcare providers, nurses often express higher levels of anxiety about aging and have shown a tendency to assign a lower status to geriatric nursing. A study conducted in the Netherlands found a correlation between nurses' attitudes towards older patients and the quality of communication and care given. The more negative a nurse's attitude was towards an older patient, the more likely their conversation was shorter, superficial, and displayed a lack of interest in the patient. The study also found that the nurses' were more likely to speak to older patients in a patronizing tone, excluding them from important healthcare decisions.
Challenging Stereotypes in Healthcare
To combat ageism in healthcare, education and training are essential. Healthcare providers must be educated about ageism and trained to provide care that is respectful and inclusive of older adults. Moreover, senior patients can be educated on how to identify what ageism is, how to communicate more effectively with their healthcare providers, and how to stand up for themselves when they feel mistreated by their provider.
The stereotypes surrounding older people in healthcare are widespread, but with time and effort, they can be overcome. Healthcare providers have the power to ensure that older adults are treated with respect, dignity, and are able to receive high-quality care. It's time to break the mold and build a healthcare system that values and honors the aging process, rather than marginalizing older adults based on stereotypes.