Elderly

1) Culture plays a major role in people’s ideas about the elderly and when old age begins. The typically stereotype of the elderly is that they mostly sleep all day and watch stories. People can have different ideas of when old ages beings. Some people believe that when one start to have wrinkles that they are elderly. As tanning and laying out in the sun is becoming a big part of our society people are starting to look a lot older than what they really are. Others, believe that old age begins when one has loss of movement skills. I personally stereotype people being elderly by their movement skills. My grandma is 69 and thinks she is 19. She never sits down and rest. She is always doing something. My grandpa is 83 and still goes to work on his truck every day. I think our society has placed negative views on the elderly. There are so many different makeup commercials for the elderly to stay young. These days no one wants to be elderly. As the health field is increasing in technology to keep us healthier the elderly is living longer. Society used to think of the elderly as a burden to society. Elderly these days are keeping up with people half their age. I now start to look at the elderly because they are not fitting typically stereotypes. I even know some elderly people who don’t want their grandchildren to called her grandma but by her first name. At the age of 65 most people were physically and mentally tried. These days people are working and staying active. My grandpa is elderly in age but no in physically health. He is probably in better shape than me. Even though our culture is changing when one looks and act as their aging we will still secretly think of them as being elderly.

WC 313

3) There would be a lot of changes if I was the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human services. There needs to be a higher standard on the number of nursing assistances to patients’ ratio. I remember when I was doing my STNA clinicals and how hard it was for the aids to take care of ten patients by themselves. I believe that if there was more aids to patients the care given to each individual patient would be better. I don’t think one can understand how hard it is till they been the aids shoes. I also believe that RN and BSN should have to work as aids before being able to move up the pay ladder. I have seen RN’s not waiting to even touch the patients. RN’s think that it is only their job to pass medications and hook up IV’s. RN’s that have never worked as aids get the big head because they are over someone. I have seen RN’s answer a call light and the patient needing to go to the bathroom. The RN’s would leave the room and go get an aid. Since I have worked as an STNA when I become a BSN I will help the aids out. Also, when the state comes in for inspections workers shouldn’t be notified. I was doing my STNA clinicals when the state come in. I could instantly tell that the state was there. The workers was in their very best behavior because they knew someone was watching them. If the state would contact the family members of the patients and do their inspections like that more would be unveiled. These are just a few examples of how I would improve the U.S. Department of Health and Human services.

WC 295