Ageism in Healthcare: Discriminative Practices and Prevention

Running head: AGEISM IN HEALTHCARE
AGEISM IN HEALTHCARE
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1AGEISM IN HEALTHCARE
Answer of Question 1
One of the most common examples of ageism as observed by Kydd and Fleming (2015),
is under and over treatment. Under treatment occurs when healthcare professionals dismiss the
symptomatic complaints presented by an aged person, such as pains, aches, fatigue or distress, as
a normal and inevitable part of the ageing process, instead of conducting comprehensive
assessments to detect the true problem. Over treatment occurs when physicians exaggerate the
health condition of the aged person, with unnecessary screenings of prostate cancer being a key
example (Ouchida & Lachs, 2015).
Answer of Question 2
As observed by Wilson et al., (2017), under treatment may lead to detrimental health
effects in the aged patient due to ignorance and lack of adequate screening of underlying health
conditions. Over treatment resulting in unnecessary screenings may lead to high financial costs
and complications due to unnecessary surgery in the elderly. Negative stereotyping of ageing
leads to detrimental emotional and psychological effects in the elderly patient, resulting in loss of
self-esteem and self-confidence. Elderly patients may then start viewing ageing as a liability
rather than as a novel and rewarding phase of life (Ben-Harush et al., 2017).
Answer of Question 3
Nurses must prevent their dismissal of an elderly patient’s health condition as merely
‘normal’ and engage in comprehensive health assessments which will result in provision of
adequate diagnosis and treatment. Conductance of evidence based research on the possible