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Ageism in medicine is a form of discrimination that often goes unnoticed, but directly affects the quality of care for millions of older adults. Many times, it is not just a subjective perception: there are practices and prejudices that condition diagnoses, treatments and clinical decisions. Below, we explore five uncomfortable truths about this topic and what strategies a patient can adopt to defend their right to dignified and fair care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Problem:<\/strong> Doctors, faced with the pressure of time and resources, often apply mental shortcuts in the care of older adults. This can lead them to consider them “expensive” or “complicated” patients, spending less time on them than young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Patient Strategy:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Problem:<\/strong> Many times, the symptoms of older adults are dismissed as part of “normal aging.” This delays important diagnoses and aggravates diseases that could have been treated earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Patient Strategy:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Problem:<\/strong> It is assumed that every older person has an inevitable cognitive decline. This leads to simplifying treatments and underestimating the ability to follow medical indications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Patient Strategy:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Problem:<\/strong> In some cases, drugs are prescribed not to treat an illness, but to “reassure” the patient, which constitutes a disguised chemical restriction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Patient Strategy:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Problem:<\/strong> Some medical decisions, such as transplants or high-cost treatments, are made based on formulas that calculate “life value” based on age. This can leave older adults with fewer treatment options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Patient Strategy:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ageism in medicine is real and has serious consequences on the quality of life of older people. However, knowing these truths allows patients and their families to take an active role in health care. Being well informed, prepared, and willing to question unfair medical decisions is the best tool to ensure dignified, respectful, and professional treatment at any stage of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ageism in medicine is a form of discrimination that often goes unnoticed, but directly affects the quality of care for millions of older adults. Many times, it is not just a subjective perception: there are practices and prejudices that condition diagnoses, treatments and clinical decisions. Below, we explore five uncomfortable truths about this topic and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":27545,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advices"],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
Truth 2: Medical Gaslighting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Truth 3: The Cognitive Impairment Assumption<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Truth 4: Medications for Behavior Control<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Truth 5: Age-Based Value Assessments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Tips & Recommendations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\ud83d\udc49 Follow our page, like \ud83d\udc4d, and share this post. Every click can make a difference\u2014perhaps saving your own life or that of a loved one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"