VERIFIED CONTENTAuthor: lek. Tomasz Nęcki

Ageism is defined as discrimination against the elderly. The problem may concern various spheres of life - both professional, access to entertainment suitable for seniors, and he alth. As all of the above can be very important for the elderly, one of the biggest problems may be ageism at the doctor - what can it lead to?

Ageism - what is it?

Nowadays people live longer and longer, and as it has undeniable advantages on the one hand, it is also associated with various difficulties. We are not necessarily talking about the problems of global economies related to the need to provide seniors with adequate social benefits - older people are more and more often faced with the phenomenon known as ageism.

Ageismis a term derived from the English language, this phenomenon is also called ageism. In general, this concept means discrimination against the elderly - the matter becomes so serious that even the World He alth Organization (WHO) expresses its concern about the scale of the phenomenon.

Seniors may encounter ageism in a variety of situations - at a certain age they may have difficulty finding any job and notice that travel agencies or event organizers do not offer any events at all that would be intended for people with several decades of life behind him. It should be noted, however, that age discrimination may also occur in places where it would rather not be expected, i.e. in doctor's offices.

Ageism at the doctor - what can testify to it?

There has long been a certain stereotype in society about senior visits to doctors, in particular to primary care physicians (who are usually family medicine specialists). It is often assumed that the elderly come to the doctor out of boredom in order to be able to talk to someone or ask about pills that helped the neighbor overcome ailments that a given person does not struggle with at all. Just as it is not necessary to explain more broadly here that this kind of generalization is definitely unfair, you can also immediately emphasize that such statements are one of the manifestations of ageism.

Because peoplethe elderly are sometimes considered abusers of medical care, and many different problems can arise, some of which may ultimately even endanger the patient's life. Certain changes and symptoms are indeed associated with advanced age - such as decreasing exercise tolerance over time or a significant reduction in the need for sleep. However, various ailments do not have to result only from aging, but they can also be a symptom of some, sometimes very serious, disease.

It happens that seniors hear in a doctor's office that their problems result from old age. You can come across stories in which elderly people complain that the doctor did not listen to them at all or he omitted to carry out a physical examination. There may be various reasons for this, starting from one of the simplest - it happens that a stressed senior has problems with focusing and may talk about his symptoms for a long time, which means that a doctor who has a dozen or so other visits may rush him.

You can also blame - incl. in the case of Poland - a he alth care system with too few working specialists. Doctors are forced to work above the norm and eventually they may be simply exhausted, which may result in it being difficult for them to find a little more patience for an elderly patient. On the third hand, a person who sees a doctor with some new ailments every week may be considered a hypochondriac. Ultimately, there are many possibilities, as well as the possible consequences of ageism, some of which have even deplorable consequences.

Consequences of ageism in doctor's offices

The fact that contact with ageism can be very unpleasant for seniors, probably does not need to convince anyone. It is worth adding here, however, that this is not the worst - the biggest threat arehe alth consequences of ageism .

It may happen that the symptoms reported by an elderly person will be downplayed and the blame for their appearance will be blamed on their advanced age. Significant weight gain? Improper diet. Decline in exercise tolerance, resulting in shortness of breath when climbing a few steps? Discontinuation of physical activity. The various ailments of seniors can theoretically be very easily explained, on the other hand, it is also very easy to overlook serious diseases.

The most serious consequences of ageism are usually told not by the patients themselves, but by their relatives. The reason for this is that some seniors simply die because their complaints are considered trivial or because ofassuming that the symptoms of concern for the elderly are due to old age. Underestimating the symptoms reported by the patient may be responsible for deaths due to, inter alia, neoplastic diseases or heart failure, which - if diagnosed earlier - could be cured or it would be possible at least to make the patient simply live longer.

Ageism at the doctor - what to do to avoid becoming a victim of the phenomenon?

Ageism in doctor's offices does not result from the ill will of doctors - it may be favored by, for example, the excessive burden on specialists with various duties (e.g. keeping very detailed documentation), during which the time devoted to contact with the patient and his examination may be shortened. Patients themselves, however, can try to minimize the risk of coming into contact with ageism.

You rarely go to the doctor when everything is fine - therefore it is understandable that patients feel stress both before and during the visit. For this reason, it is worth preparing for it properly. As mentioned earlier, in a doctor's office, a senior may have difficulty presenting his concerns clearly due to his nervousness. For example, writing down the symptoms on a piece of paper may help - this way the patient can be sure that he will not forget anything, additionally, the mere awareness of having such a "cheat sheet" may make the senior feel more self-confident.

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