Medical Bias Seen Toward the Elderly
The next time you hear a medical professional say that what ails you is “old age,” keep in mind that the age “diagnosis” for patients over 50 is being challenged. Along these lines, an August 13, 2008 on-line article published by the National Care Planning Council at www.longtermcarelink.com, “The Bias of Medical Care Providers Towards Aging” piqued my interest. The article can be read in full on-line. Here are some quotes and reasons why I think the article is especially relevant for seniors and caregivers.
“’Bias Towards Aging Affects the Medical Treatment Seniors Receive.’ ‘In many cultures in the world, elderly people are revered and their advice is sought and respected. In our culture, the wisdom, the knowledge and the social skills of the elderly are often overlooked and instead we focus on the mental and physical deficits of our older generation. . .”
I have written many times about this disparity. We wait for seniors to fail. In our society when someone does well, we comment that “Mary or John is remarkable ‘for her age.’” As one friend remarked to me, “What has age got to do with it?’” The article continues:
“It is inevitable that many medical care providers will unconsciously have this same attitude towards their older patients. As a result, if an older person has a medical complaint and the cause is not readily apparent, a medical practitioner is more likely to accept the condition as a consequence of old age. This attitude causes practitioners to focus treatment on making the elderly more comfortable in their old age as opposed to finding a cure. . .
A 90 year old man meets with his doctor and complains about pain in his right knee. The doctor tells him,
‘Well Henry, what do you expect? You’re 90 years old.’…”
Again, the article is correct. In my own experience, one elderly relative was discouraged from seeking further treatment for cancer because, at his age, he would be likely to die of other causes first. The delay in diagnosing my mother’s dementia was likely because her symptoms were regarded as part of normal aging when it was not. The article continues:
“Many in the health- care profession consider old age to be a disease itself. Any medical problems are inappropriately attributed to old age as if it were a medical condition. And since there is no cure for old age, appropriate tests and treatment are never performed. “
Of particular interest, the article provides a real life example of a 71 year old woman recovering after surgery on her shoulder for a bone spur that caused her considerable pain. When she did not recover as expected and experienced severe pain for months even with therapy, she was told that she should not expect more since elderly people take longer to recover. Her extreme tiredness and lack of energy was attributed to age since “<s>he should expect to be tired as surgery can have a major effect on the elderly.”
When her skin turned grey and she insisted on further tests, it was discovered that she was anemic. After transfusions and iron supplementation, she recovered completely.
The article commented that, had this been a younger person, tests would have been conducted to find the source of the problem.
What is the solution? The article recommends treatment and care for seniors by specialists – geriatric-oriented practitioners with a holistic approach who look for answers and do not use the aging “diagnosis” as a crutch. The author states the key better than I ever could as follows:
“A Holistic Treatment Approach. Most practitioners who specialize in medical care for the elderly are aware of the above-mentioned problems with older patients and they take a holistic approach with the medical treatment of their patients. An attempt is made not only to treat the specific condition or conditions, but to make sure there is sufficient physical activity, proper nutrition and family support at home. Practitioners work closely with family members to make sure their loved ones are taking medications properly and are reporting their symptoms.
Geriatric-oriented practitioners require caregivers to closely monitor health conditions in their loved ones and report any changes before things get worse. These providers also meet with the patients regularly enough to monitor, on their own, their patient’s current health.
This broad-based approach results in better health, more functionality and fewer visits to the emergency room because intervention for a worsening condition is achieved at an earlier stage.”
About the Author Janet Colliton
Esquire, Colliton Law Associates, P.C. Janet Colliton has practiced law for over 38 years, 37 of them in Chester County, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. Her practice, Colliton Law Associates, PC, is limited to elder law, Medicaid, including advice, applications and appeals, and other benefits planning including Veterans benefits, life care and special needs planning, guardianships, retirement, and estate planning and administration.