Throughout the time of this course, I have learned several things that have offered me different outlooks on nursing care in the older adult. Throughout my learning this semester, this course has offered me a more holistic care standpoint and how nursing care in the older adult population can be different from many other aspects of nursing. I believe that this course offered me a different aspect on life and the aging process that comes with time. I enjoyed learning, reflecting, and pursuing a project that will mean so much to someone for the rest of their life. I will forever be able to look back on this course and create my patient care for the older adult that is tailored to each individual patient that I have. I believe that through this course, I am now able to scientifically know and educate my patients on the aging process as well as taking each patient scenario with an open-mind with no previous judgements.
With the idea of aging comes body processes that are changing and declining in function. One takeaway from the course would be the idea of education to my patient’s about changes to come in the aspect of the aging process. With my background of knowledge about body processes throughout my nursing education, I enjoyed that in this course, it was tailored to the older adult and the physiologic changes that will begin to occur. In my practice, being able to educate patients about the coming body changes is important in maintaining a trusting relationship, as I may be addressing a lot of their fears. With this set of tools regarding knowledge around normal body functioning versus abnormal functioning, I will be able to provide my patients with centered care that focuses on addressing their needs and fears regarding the aging process. I am eager to start practicing and fine-tuning my skills to be able to provide the best care possible that provides both compassion and empathy.
In regards to the older adult population, there are a lot of stigmas and misconceptions that are often thought to be true unless told otherwise. I believe that in this course, we were taught a lot about the idea of addressing those stigmas and replacing them with factual evidence. There are a lot of stigmas out there saying that older adults are bad drivers, they cannot hear, they’re slow, and that they are intellectually incompetent. The second takeaway I have from this course is the idea of addressing these stigmas and realizing that they are not always true. Each older adult is so unique in their abilities and capabilities while others may have conditions that take away a good amount of independence. Regardless, I learned that it is vital to go into every patient scenario with an open mind and a clean slate with no previous misconceptions or judgment. In doing this, I will be able to provide safe and compassionate care that promotes the quality of life for each patient I come across in my career. I am excited to use my new knowledge regarding older adults to be able to provide patient centered care that is individualized and judgment-free.
