Throughout this course there was quite a lot of information that was presented about the elder population. I would say that some of the topics that were covered in class I never really thought about how the elder population could be involved. The role of nurse is to investigate about a patient’s condition and gather all information that will help the nurse plan care. I think with an older adult there is a lot to investigate for that is not just related to their diagnosis. There were two topics in classed that stuck with me and that I know I will take into consideration when I am in practice.

The first topic that is very relevant not only in practice but in everyday life is the topic of reframing aging that was presented by Dr. G. In this lecture word choice, social clock, and compassionate ageism were topics that were discussed. I know that I have not used the proper terminology when addressing the elder population and before I never really stopped to think about it. I think it is important to properly address the elder population to show them respect and that we care about their opinion. In the lecture Dr. G discussed the social clock, which describes at which age “things” are supposed to happen. Every person ages differently and “things” happen to someone at different degrees. A woman who is 80 years old could be able to go out every morning and run 5 miles, but it’s important to ask those things instead of just assuming. I think that as a society we just assume that when we hit a certain age, we can no longer be active or do certain things because that has been the norm in our society. The last topic that goes along with social clock is compassionate “ageism”, which is actions by a person who assumes an older adult cannot do certain things. One example that comes to mind is helping an older adult cross the road because it is assumed that they cannot do it on their own. I think our society views older adults as inactive and cannot do things for themselves, which is a perception that needs to be changed. Older adults are competent because they have a lot of life and experience under their belts.

Another topic that stuck with me that we went over this semester was the topic of the LGBTQ community in the older population. The older population had to hide their sexuality when they were younger and now, they should not have to. I think it is important to ask about sexuality because it is a part of the nursing assessment, and it is a part of their life. The older population did fight for the rights that this country has in place with the LGBTQ community, and we owe them a huge thanks for everything that they sacrificed and went through. At the end of Dr. G’s lecture, she told us that she is in a same sex relationship with the guest that she brought in with her and nobody in our class asked because we assumed that she was straight. The two topics that I took away from this class and that I will bring into practice is to ask and to be open.