The effect of ageism on older people and implications for nursing practice

Joint Event on 4^th World Congress on Nursing Education & Research & Annual Congress on Child Care: Mental Health, Psychology & Nursing

April 12-13, 2019 | Toronto, Canada

Charlie Banister

Birmingham City University

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Nurs Care

Abstract :

With new emerging medical advances leading to aging populations, our nursing skills need to expand. Although, nurses express positive view points about older people and the aging process as do student nurses aging is often still feared leading to ageism which negatively impacts health. Research has shown that what nurses might believe to be beneficial can, in fact, be detrimental even to the point of aging more quickly. For example, older adults experiencing pain are often brushed off by healthcare professionals or refused some medical treatments. In my article, I wrote about a time where I was inadvertently ageist when offering my bus seat to an older adult and how that led me to question my assumptions, learn the importance of sensitivity within acts of kindness and promote inclusivity within nursing. Words cannot explain how much I would appreciate the opportunity to present at your conference, focusing on my article and the importance of understanding how actions, even with good intentions, can have negative implications on the health of older adults, but also all service users facing stigma and discrimination. I believe it is crucial for nurses to reflect on their practice, talk to service users about how they feel in different situations and knowledge share. I would love to encourage nurses and students to share knowledge, do research, publish and expand evidencebased practice further.

Biography :