ageing bias

Ageing Bias

 Communication is a very critical element in provision of quality services by healthcare providers. Communication determines the satisfaction of clients with our services. It also plays a very important role in creating effective nurse-patient relationships and ensuring there is patients cooperation in delivery healthcare services. Patients with different ages tend to have different styles of communication and how they want or prefer information to be relayed to them by nurses (Mental Health, 2011). Therefore, nurses may encounter problems when communicating with different age groups. In culture, different cultures may have different practices. In some cases, when patients and nurses have different customs, they may differ in terms of what they believe is right and wrong, thus resulting in differences in ideas. In this case, the outcome will be weak or limited in communication between the patient and the nurse. In my entire profession as a nurse, I have noted that it is very crucial to recognize and respect the cultural preferences and beliefs of patients. I have been able to realize that failure to recognize patients culture renders one an incompetent nurse. 

Culture sensitivity is very important while communicating to the clients. Like for the Muslims I have encountered in my practice, their culture prefers important information regarding a patient’s condition be communicated to the head of the family first before any other persons get informed. Gender also affects communication between nurses and patients. I have realized that patients prefer sharing information with nurses of the same gender. Mostly when I encounter male patients, some of them are normally not comfortable sharing information with me so I refer to male nurses if available. Race is almost similar to gender. Patients from a different race in consideration to the nurse serving them may, in some cases, communicate in a poor way to be uncomfortable with nurses from other races. 

Living conditions of a patient also greatly influence how they communicate. Living situations may refer to people they live with and how they interact with them. These situations of living also directly affect how patients interact and communicate to nurses. In traditional African American culture, age has a major role in society. Growing up in African Americain  culture the old and the aging were considered as the pillars of society. They were highly respected for their status. Age is considered as the basis of demonstrating respect to people and also it identifies a persons sense of identity and status in the community. Furthermore, due to lack of knowledge of numbers OAS were not identified in terms of the years but their physical appearance. However, from my current knowledge most of them were 65 years and above. It was the responsibility of the family to care for the OAS. Lastly, they were highly consulted for decision making in the family even in the larger community.

                                                References

 Mental Health of America. (2011). Position Statement 35: Aging well: Wellness and psychosocial treatment for the emotional and cognitive challenges of aging. Retrieved from http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/positions/aging-well