question archive I work as a pharmacy tech, so we see a lot of older patients come into the pharmacy for their medications
I work as a pharmacy tech, so we see a lot of older patients come into the pharmacy for their medications
Subject:SociologyPrice: Bought3
I work as a pharmacy tech, so we see a lot of older patients come into the pharmacy for their medications. Some older adults move a bit slower; others have a hard time hearing; others simply want to talk to you a little bit longer. I work in a very busy pharmacy, so the flow of prescriptions coming in and the flow of people coming in to pick up their prescriptions is non-stop. There’s been many instances where a co-worker will complain to other co-workers that so and so took forever, or “so and so is back again I’ll be at the register for twenty minutes,” many have also grown visibly annoyed when an older adults cannot hear them. It’s easy to fall in that mindset, in a busy environment, I know I have, but it’s important to remember that you don’t know every person’s story. The older adult moving slowly may be in a lot of pain, the one who can’t hear may have a clinical condition causing them to lose hearing, and the one who wants to talk a bit longer may not have anybody else to talk to.
I think ageism affects older adults, not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well. Physically their body could be undergoing actual changes that need treatment that their provider simply rules off as old age, therefore they’re not receiving the proper care they need as a patient (Marquet et al., 2019). Mentally, older adults may not understand why they’re not getting the treatment they need they may be confused as to why they’re not receiving proper care for a problem they view a legitimate. And emotionally, because naturally, most people want to feel seen and heard. No being seen and heard by your provider could cause an older adult to become frustrated, angered, sad, or hopeless.
I think a lot of times ageism is unknowingly a stereotypical thought for many people. You see an older person and you related it to all old people, which is unfair. Each person is different, therefore your care for each person must be different. Nurses can play a huge role to stop ageism in the healthcare setting simply by providing individualized treatment to each patient and having that care be patient centered (Regis College, 2021). As a nurse you should remember that older patients are still people, just because they’re older their feelings or thoughts are not invalidated.
