This class has taught me a lot about aging older adults and has given me a new perspective on aging and nursing care for older adults. Going into this course, I saw aging as a negative or scary thing. I associated it with illness, loss of loved ones, and death. However, after completing this course and learning more about this age group I have come to learn that there are positives to aging as well. Completing the LifeBook narrative project showed me how much wisdom and knowledge the older population has to share with the world. This is knowledge that I believe can only come with old age and living through many different life experiences. This class has taught me a lot about how to provide the best possible nursing care for the older population and also how to prepare them for end of life.
The first insight that I have taken from this class is how important it is to be respectful to the older population and to not look at them as any less than just because they may need more hands on care than other age groups. Before taking this class, I was not really interested in the idea of working in gerontology nursing because in my mind I thought that meant that they were all going to be incontinent, depressed, or unable to do things for themselves. While there are some patients who will have these traits, this class taught me to remember that most older adults are happy and healthy and are fully capable of living normal lives. Their bodies just start to slow down as a normal part of aging and may not be able to do what they did when they were in their twenties. Something that I will take away from this class is to always be kind, patient, and treat them with respect no matter what their different needs are and to not treat them as if they are incapable.
Another thing that I will take away from this class is to emphasize the importance of patient’s autonomy. When reviewing end of life care, I saw how important it is to the patient’s for them to make their own decisions regarding their body, end of life plans, and what kind of care they are willing to receive. I will always make sure to have the conversation about advance directives with my older age patients to ensure that they have control over what happens to them. I will also make sure to put the patients needs above anyone else and not let any family drama or arguments get in the way of what the patient wants, and what is truly best for that patient.
