Before working with older individuals, I was not really sure what to expect. Before clinical I assumed I would be helping with a lot but didn’t really think about how a lot of older adults are very independent. Throughout my clinical experience a lot of the older adults were the more independent patients and loved to do their ADLs by themselves if they could. Before nursing school, I did not know if I wanted to work with older adults. However, I really enjoyed working with older adults throughout my clinical experience and helping to care for them has taught me a lot.

I think my views on common changes of aging changed a lot. I learned more about what was part of the normal aging process, and what findings are not part of the aging process such as incontinence or dementia. I think this information will help me be more in tune to what is going on with my patients. Another area that had changed my view on aging was polypharmacy. I wasn’t too familiar with polypharmacy before this course, but I learned how it can have many negative effects on an older adult’s health. It is important to do medication reconciliations with the client to make sure there are no interactions, and that they are on no extra medications that may interfere with their health. Another topic that has changed my viewpoint was elder abuse. All older adults should be screened for abuse when they come into a hospital setting as this is something that often gets missed and can come in many forms such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, financial abuse, and neglect. Another change of view I had in this class was that older adults often have the same personality and enjoy many of the same things they did when they were younger.  By keeping all these considerations in mind, I will be able to provide better care for older adults.

One take-a-way I got from this course that had me think about changes in my own life that will lead to healthy aging was polypharmacy. I used to have chronic migraines from a concussion and while my doctors were trying to figure this out, I was put on a lot of different medications, that caused negative side effects. Now, I only take one medication for migraines and feel much better, so I can see how polypharmacy can have a very negative effect on an older adult’s health. Talking to my provider and doing frequent medication reconciliations will help identify any contraindicated medications and side effects I could experience. Being aware of what medications I am taking and why I am taking them as I get older is essential to maintaining health.