Throughout my Gerontology Nursing Course, I have gained insight on promoting optimal quality of life for individuals as they navigate through expected changes, chronic illness, and the end of life. I have experience working with this population as a Certified Nursing Assistant at a local nursing home. Here, I learned a great deal about the changes in health that older adults experience, both expected and unexpected. I have sat with a patient at the end of her life, and provided care after her passing. After my employment at the nursing home, I could not imagine how much more there is to learn about how to provide safe, compassionate care for this population. My Nursing 409 Course taught me just that, and will undoubtedly influence my practice when providing care for older individuals in the future. 

Something I learned more about in this course that I thought was very insightful when caring for the older adult population is the many myths and stereotypes that are believed to be true about all elderly individuals. For instance, it is believed by most that older adults are not interested in nor capable of sex, when truly it is health professionals that lack experience in discussing sex and failing to include the topic in assessments of the older patient. This makes me wonder what other concepts about older adults are misconceived by the general population, and if there are any other assessments or aspects of care healthcare professionals are leaving out when it comes to the older population. 

While taking this course, I also found it surprising that I had not considered the increasing diversity of the older adult population. As in any CNA/nursing job, I recognized the specific needs of each individual based on their beliefs and values when providing care while working at the nursing home. However, I had not considered that the older population is becoming more and more racially and ethnically diverse. In regards to this information, I learned that the nurse is responsible for understanding the beliefs, values, traditions, and practices of various ethnic and racial groups. The nurse should also know that certain ethnic/racial groups have unique health-related needs, experiences, and risks. This information will guide me in providing the best care possible for my patients because I will be aware of what to look for and expect in certain populations.