Throughout my gerontology course this semester, I have gained a lot of insight about the aging adult and nursing considerations surrounding them. This course showed me how important it is to care for older adults in a client specific way. The first insight I am going to discuss is how there are biological considerations to be aware of when caring for an older adult. An important aspect of caring for older adults includes safe medication administration. Age related changes affect the absorption rate of medications. Increased gastric pH, decreased gastric blood flow/motility, decreased intracellular fluid, reduced cardiac output/circulation, and a slower metabolism are all factors that can slow the absorption rate of medications that we discussed in class. Going into my nursing career, I will know the importance of administering medications on time to older adults beauce of this change in absorption rate. There is also an increased incidence of adverse reactions to medications in older adults, because of that I will be extra mindful when caring for my older patients after administering medications. 

The next insight from this course that I will take into my nursing practice is the emotional toll that being an older adult in the hospital can have on someone. In class we talked about age related conditions such as age related macular degeneration. I feel that this is a good example because it encompasses the loss of something so vital (vision) to an individual that had no visual problems during their adult life. Feeling like you are not capable of taking care of yourself when you were always capable of doing so is defeating. In my nursing practice, I want to do my best to make sure that no older adult under my care feels like a burden. I will also do all I can to promote independence in the older individual so they can hold on to any sense of self they can. Supporting the emotions of an older adult as they grieve the loss of who they feel they used to be is so important when providing empathetic and client centered care to the older population.

Caring for older adults is a privilege.  They all have a unique and insightful story to tell if you choose to listen. In my nursing practice, I will acknowledge every individual I care for as a unique opportunity to learn something new and make a difference in their lives. This kind of care is important for every patient, but has a special meaning and impact when caring for older adults. Every action as a nurse caring for this population has the potential to make a profound difference in their perception of this stage of life. I will take all of these factors into consideration in my nursing practice.