Dispelling myths about ageing for healthcare assistants

Abstract

This article provides healthcare assistants with some clear definitions of concepts in ageing that they can consider in their everyday practice. By defining ageing and its obvious link to the process of biological senescence (the normal process of biological ageing, which all living organisms experience from the moment their lives begin), HCAs are introduced to the characteristic signs of functional decline—which often epitomises the view we have of older people—and the normal physical degenerative trajectory towards death. Physical characteristics of the ageing process are discussed in relation to the physiological signs of ageing as a gradual deterioration in function and capacity to respond to environmental stress. This is interlinked with the complex medical histories with which elderly people often present in healthcare practice. Specific considerations of working with older patients such as polypharmacy (the use of multiple medications), and general health problems, are then discussed and the notion of ageism as a discriminatory practice is briefly explored.