Ageism In Health Care

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The Injustices of Ageism Associated with Health Care Settings and Professionals The role of a nurse reflects upon the moral codes and values that govern us in order to deliver impartial care to a patient, whomever they may be (Fowler, 2015). The goal of every health care learning facility is to equip future caretakers with the core moral and functional principles that would ensure impeccable performance of a provider. The specific issue that will be covered throughout this paper is the neglect of care associated with ageism for elderly patients in the health care setting. Ageism is the bias that negatively impacts the quality of care due to the stereotypes associated with a specific individuals age, particularly the elderly (Robertson, 2004). …show more content…
Fundamental standards such as health promotion, ethics, and cultural practices are all neglected (Fowler, 2015). According to the Jesuit value of cura personalis, care must be provided to the patient not only as a means to an end, but also as a means of respect and love for their whole being (Regis University, 2017). Gauging the effects of ageism, acts such as denying preventative treatment and disease screenings for a patient due to their age defy this notion directly. Looking at the nursing ethical standards provision 1, a foundational principle is the respect for human dignity which, like cura personalis, respects the value of being a human. The aforementioned actions derived from the ageist stereotype also entirely disregard these important notions. Thus, they are an injustice towards the patient and the caretakers …show more content…
Ageist ideologies interfere with the Jesuit values and ethical standards that define the roles of a nurse. They warrant the denial of potentially lifesaving procedures and screenings that are critical to the wellbeing and autonomy of a patient based on age. Through the application of cura personalis and the various nursing standards, it is ensured that societal influences and stereotypes alike pose no threat to the professional values of nurses, especially ones as trivial as