There should be more access given to educational materials in their preferred language

There should be more access given to educational materials in their preferred language

Part 1

Cultural diversity contributes to significant roles in enhancing the safety of patients in healthcare facilities. The purpose of communication and understanding of uniformity in different cultures existing between the nurses and patients if significant in promoting the welfare of patients (Hebda & Czar, 2009). Regarding patient safety from the discussion posts, I learned that information on critical issues resulting from cultural diversities in healthcare facilities is needed for the patient’s safety. In my opinion, I believe that there should be more access given to educational materials in their preferred language or through the use of international languages. In this regard, healthcare facilities should hire nurses who are culturally competent and who understand cultural diversity.

Different cultures have a different organizational structure that differentiates it from other cultures and are tied by norms which are considered to be either appropriate or inappropriate (Douglas & Purnell, 2014). Nurses should, therefore, understand the organizational aspects to enable them to provide adequate care to patients from diverse cultures. Nurses experience tension between the need to recognize and respond to cultural differences and the importance of avoiding stereotyping. Naturally, competent nurses understand the need for fair and equal healthcare access and opportunities for families and individuals from diverse cultures. It is therefore essential for nurses to understand and respect the unique cultures of the patients they handle, which and most importantly, the role played by culture in defining health and illness.

Cultural knowledge is a process involving healthcare practitioners to research more information on different cultures and opposing worldviews from individuals from different cultures. Understanding the values, strategies, practices, and beliefs of dealing with cultural and ethnic differences enable the nurses to develop confidence in the encounters they experience in their profession (Douglas & Purnell, 2014). I believe that diversity in nursing practice is essential as if creates opportunities of administering good care to patients.

Nursing diversity is characterized by status, gender, physical features, and race (Hebda & Czar, 2009). Also, I believe that excellent communication between the nurses and patients can be promoted and primary care enabled through bridging the gap between the beliefs and practices and medicine culture in healthcare facilities as they are critical in forming the value system of patients. Hiring nurses that understand the environment, religion, culture and other cultural diversities of patients can promote quality care (Evers, Ploeg & Kaasalainen, 2011). The knowledge and interpersonal skills enable the nurses to understand and appreciate their work with people from different cultures.

Part 2

There are higher chances of healthcare issues among older adults and frequently visits healthcare facilities. The cultural and social customs and societal structures significantly contribute to the formation of attitudes and behaviours towards the elderly in society (Hebda & Czar, 2009). The changes of economic and social lives in the society shows that the communication that exists between the elderly and the nurses is poor and the youths have a negative attitude towards caring for them.

Among the ageing biases that I have experienced so far is making decisions that are biased based on age differences, and this has affected the elderly patients. The age-biased decisions mostly result in the idea that the elderly patients are selective on the healthcare facilities they want to attend and the type of medication to receive. The age-biased decision stereotyping that revolve in hospitals significantly impacts the medical interventions that get administered to elderly patients. The elderly patients, as a result, may decline some treatments even though they have been administered to them by healthcare practitioners. There are higher chances of the elderly failing to accept the significant toxicity level, which is in exchange for their improved healthcare after receiving medical treatment.

Secondly, an ageing bias that I have witnessed is little expectation of recovery in addition to a treatment adjustment plan for elderly patients according to the prescribed medication. As a result, elderly patients have started developing a negative mind that is caused by healthcare providers. Having little recovery expectations and adherence to the instructions for the prescribed medication have resulted to the older adults losing hopes of ever recovering by getting well have failed to accept the fact that they contribute to their sickness. I felt ashamed during this encounter that made me realize that the elderly patient has low self-esteem and made them develop a perception that their health goals will never be achieved. In the event of hospitalization of older patients, the caution of believing that there were minimal chances of their recovery meant that there is no need for the elderly patients to adhere to the treatment administered to them and that their bodies are weak to handle the prescribed medication.

Additionally, the ageing bias that I have witnessed is a misunderstanding of the functional ability of older patients. The misunderstanding was caused by generalizing the behaviours possessed by the elderly patients and the belief that showed similar health problems. I was forced to repeat myself when providing healthcare services to address the challenges affecting my patients.

Finally, the belief on the resistance to change and unwillingness to learn new information by the elderly patients was the other ageing bias that I witnessed. It is incorrect to generalize that the elderly are unwilling to adapt to new environments, although most of the elderly patients experience challenging moments when transferred to original settings. Majority of the elderly patients are challenged when living in a new environment and the unique experience because they make conscious decisions to pause learning. However, I realized they were unaware of their unwillingness to adapt. In my opinion, most elderly patients are not willing to learn further because of old age and resists to diversity, and this threatens the administration of healthcare services.

Part 3

A community education plan aiming to address the ageing bias issues include knowledge and awareness creation regarding elderly patients. The elderly population in the society is tremendously increasing due to improved healthcare; hence healthcare providers should consider incorporating their plans on social and healthcare services (Evers, Ploeg & Kaasalainen, 2011). The fact that the elderly population encounters numerous health challenges and discrimination which create a vicious cycle raises the urge to develop proper healthcare facilities and services for their benefit. It is critical to determine the manner that nurses perceive the elderly patients to develop an education plan program for the whole community successfully.

The assessment based on the beliefs, lives, and attitudes of the healthcare providers towards the elderly patients is essential for creating a community education plan to provide organizational and healthcare services (Evers, Ploeg & Kaasalainen, 2011). The services should be directed towards promoting and improving the status of health for these patients. The attitudes and belief that indicates that the elderly in the society is endowed with numerous healthcare benefits when they get ill is the primary causative agent for the development of negative perceptions against the elderly population (Cameron & Brownie, 2010).

The kind of beliefs, values, bias, and negative attitude by nurses on elderly patients reflects on the quality of healthcare services and providers for older people in society. There is insufficient information involving services provided in healthcare facilities for elderly patients, and this is a significant factor affecting the healthcare quality given to them (Lea & Courtney-Pratt, 2017). Ageing biases in healthcare facilities can result in self-stigma. The elderly patients are forced to develop negative ideas and beliefs on the services offered to them hence forcing them to have little hopes on their recovery process, and this makes them have little concerns in seeking healthcare services.

Creating awareness in all healthcare facilities is an essential strategy that reduces the ageing bias in the society, and it must be created based on the views on the elderly patients (Lea & Courtney-Pratt, 2017). According to the elderly in the society, they must be treated with a lot of dignity and discrimination them when providing healthcare services leads to deteriorating self-confidence skills among them and the ability to have self-care (Douglas & Purnell, 2014). There is a need for healthcare practitioners to be educated on the importance of valuing the elderly in society.

Additionally, healthcare providers need to be culturally competent to provide quality healthcare services. Cultural competence is the ability to respect the cultures and beliefs of other people fairly and with dignity in a sensitive manner towards addressing the differences and similarities as this will contribute to the development of genuinely inclusive culture (Cameron & Brownie, 2010). Nurses can attain cultural competence by assessing their beliefs, cultural identity, values, and understanding of ageing bias. Furthermore, awareness of the psychological changes due to age factors should be created. There is a need for healthcare practitioners to consider the physical, emotional, and mental healthcare aspects of the patients (Evers, Ploeg & Kaasalainen, 2011). The healthcare practitioners must, therefore, address the emotional requirements of the elderly patients, which will change their perception of delivery of healthcare services.

References

Cameron, F., & Brownie, S. (2010). Enhancing resilience in registered aged care nurses. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 29(2), 66-71. doi:10.1111/j.1741-6612.2009.00416.x

Douglas, M. K., & Purnell, L. (2014). Guidelines for Implementing Culturally Competent Nursing Care. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 25(2), 109-121. doi:10.1177/1043659614520998

Evers, C., Ploeg, J., & Kaasalainen, S. (2011). Case Study of the Attitudes and Values of Nursing Students Toward Caring for Older Adults. Journal of Nursing Education, 50(7), 404-409. doi:10.3928/01484834-20110429-03

Hebda, T., & Czar, P (2009). Handbook of Informatics for Nurses and Healthcare Professionals (5^th Edition).

Lea, E., & Courtney-Pratt, H. (2017). Nursing students’ preferences for clinical placements in the residential aged care setting. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 27(1-2), 143-152. doi:10.1111/jocn.13859