Discussion response

Response:

Gero Discussion-1 Perception of aging

When I think of an older adult I typically think of a person closer to the retirement age. Their kids would be in their teens or college. They would either be working at the same place of employment for a longer-term. They would take their doctor's advice because they have attended school and know what's best. Older adults are typically set in their ways and harder to implement changes.

Older adults are typically from another generation and that has to be taken into consideration when implementing health changes. The older adult might be hesitant to try new technologies or treatment modalities. On the other hand, they may rely heavily on the opinion of their doctors. Which may not always be a positive thing to do.

  Having a parent that is retired and seeing the health issues that occur are very eye-opening. It has opened my eyes that it's easier to implement prevention methods than it is to improve your health once a health issue develops. It is a never-ending cascade of medical issues and management. But, not everyone has the means to set in place prevention methods. This is a sad realization that is playing across the United States. 

In my rotation for community health, I came across a female patient that was often confused. She had many worries and was scared that she was alone. As I did more background and talked with her visitors it was evident that she had a great support system. The patient though didn't always remember all her support members. She was genuinely frightened that she was alone. This impacted her quality of life in the nursing home and was a great sense of anxiety. It gave me a small glimpse of how patients with dementia may feel on an ongoing basis.