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Age and Healthcare

Age is an important aspect in healthcare delivery. Studies have pointed out that people tend to become more susceptible to sickness and disability as they age (Shephard, 2015). As a result, age often impacts the manner in which care is delivered to patients in different clinical settings. This paper discuses the life stages and the influence of age on healthcare from a patient’s perspective.

Life Stages

Life is made up of different stages including infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old-age which often influence people’s health and the manner in which care is delivered. For instance, during infancy and childhood, most of the health decisions are made by the care providers in conjunction with the patients’ parents/ guardians (Shephard, 2015). This is because majority of patients at this stage are usually too young to understand or make any decisions regarding their health.  Similarly, patients at this phase are handled by pediatricians or physicians who have specialized in handling children since their body functions, systems, and medical condition vary from that of adults and the elderly (Edelman, Mandle, & Kudzma, 2017). Moreover, the medication, treatment, and care given to infants and children is very different from that of adult and elderly patients because of their age difference and the fact that the children’s bodies are still developing. Adult and elderly patients, on the other hand, must be involved in the healthcare process and provided with sufficient information to make informed decisions concerning their health. Their medical conditions and health issues are also tackled by doctors and practitioners who have specialized in adult and elderly patients (Shephard, 2015). In other words, age will always determine the type of treatment, medication, physician, and care that a patient receives.

The influence of Age on Healthcare from a Patient’s Perspective

Age and healthcare are interrelated in a number of ways. For instance, during an interview with one of my nieces, she confirmed to me that the care providers in her hometown hospital treated her differently when she fell ill because of her age.  In this regard, she was assessed and handled by a pediatrician given that she was below 18 years (Edelman et al., 2017). She was also accompanied by her parents during the outpatient and hospital stay to ensure her comfort and wellbeing, as well as, answer any questions related to my niece’s health during the medical assessment (Shephard, 2015). Similarly, her mother and father were involved in the entire treatment and decision making process and at some point they had to sign a number of documents and give their informed consent for my niece to undergo surgery. In this case, the parents were required to give their informed consent before any treatment because my niece was legally not old enough to make any decisions regarding her health (Edelman et al., 2017). She was, however, informed about her condition and updated after every procedure to help her understand what was happening to her body. Based on this experience, my niece felt that she would have been treated differently if she was an adult or elderly patient.

In conclusion, the different stages in life often influence the healthcare delivery process including the level of care, medication, treatment, and involvement in the decision making process. As a result, care providers should always ensure that they provide patients with treatment and care that is suitable for their age and medical condition.