Donna L. Mason, RN, MS
ENA Board of Directors
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As I sit here in an emergency department (not my own) with a family member, I ask myself, "How did I get here? When did I as a nurse becomes one of those caregivers I always read about?" I remember when I began my nursing career 30 years ago, and I thought 50 was old; I hoped I would never be that "old." Isn’t it strange that 50 seems young now, and parents who are in their mid-70s don’t seem all that old, either?
I think of all the older patients I have taken care of during my tenure as an emergency nurse, and it was not until I was more seasoned that I realized there is much bias in our treatment of older patients. I recalled the times I asked a daughter or son questions about an older patient, totally ignoring the fact that the patient was perfectly capable of answering his or her own questions. Did I think the patients were incapacitated because they were older and sick? Did I assume they all had dementia? Are all old people senile and slow? Was I in such a hurry to complete my task that I did not have the time to listen to the person who was unable to talk as fast as I wanted?
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| Watching the emergency nurses caring for my father, my impulse is to remind each of them that this patient is a very important person who has always been independent and quick-witted, and who worked 50-60 hours per week until he became ill. I want them to know that he is a real person with a real story who has family members that care deeply about the horrible disease that has taken control of his body. My instinct tells me it is time to teach them this is not just a disease to be treated, but a man who six weeks ago was riding a Harley Davidson and wearing a bandana like a Hell’s Angel. This is a man who helped a neighbor put a roof on his house just a few months back. His body is wearing out, but his mind is good, and he has a great story to tell. How dare they treat him like he does not have good sense?
As we watch our population get older, it poses a great opportunity for emergency nurses to become educated on how to care for the aging society. We must not let our bias cloud our judgment of caring for older patients. We have a great amount to learn about aging and geriatric care. There are persons skydiving at 80, and in contrast, 50-year-olds who cannot walk to the mailbox without difficulty. This population of people cannot be "clumped" together.
Our organization’s members have expressed that they want to know more about this section of our population. The Geriatric Emergency Nursing Education (GENE) course was designed to give you the information you need to care for an aging society. The John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing has developed many tools to assist the emergency nurse in the evaluation and care of the geriatric population, and we hope this educational opportunity will assist our members in the delivery of that care. The pilot GENE course was presented to ENA members on October 3 in San Diego, immediately following the 2004 ENA Scientific Assembly. Since emergency nurses take pride in self-education, this was a great opportunity to learn how to deliver better care to a section of the population.
We as emergency nurses have a responsibility to educate ourselves, as we will see more and more aging patients in the emergency setting. This population offers a variety of interesting issues to the emergency nurse. As advocates for patients, we owe it to our patients to educate ourselves about emergency care, disaster planning, pharmacology, and discharge care for this selection of patients.
As you care for patients on your next shift, take the time to talk to the geriatric population. I think you will be amazed at the wealth of information they have to share with you that will enhance your experience as an emergency nurse. There is a great deal to be learned from all patients, and this population will continue to provide opportunities for us to learn.
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