Gerontologists provide support to patients who need it the most. When people reach a state of significant cognitive or physical decline, it often becomes impossible for them to care for themselves. They need support to address their medical needs, but they also need help with basic human functions that they probably have been handling themselves since early adolescence. This includes hygiene.
It could also mean accessing social encounters or performing basic household chores. While administering this care is both demanding and emotionally draining, it is a rewarding way to make a major difference in someone else’s life.
In this article, we take a broad look at gerontology. What it is, who does it, and what challenges they face.
What is a Gerontologist?
A gerontologist is a nurse who works with patients— usually 65 years or older— to manage symptoms caused by chronic conditions. The support that they provide is usually corrective, but rather designed to improve the patient’s overall quality of life.
Sometimes this will involve traditional medical interventions like the administration of medication, the monitoring of vitals, and so on. Other times, it will involve hygienic concerns. Support that allows patients to retain their dignity and enjoy whatever degree of autonomy and independence is left to them.
Because gerontological services are usually introduced after the point that a person is considered beyond the help of preventative care, the ultimate outcome is usually death. Sometimes, these services will go on for weeks, other times a patient could require gerontological care for years.
Studies have found that most adults die within six months of being introduced to a long-term care setting.
Naturally, this description probably does not produce the idea that gerontological care is a walk in the park. But what are the specific challenges that gerontologists face? Below, we take a look at some job factors that may not be immediately obvious.
Gerontologists may Experience Heightened Rates of Anxiety or Depression
Any healthcare worker is going to see people struggling with difficult situations. It’s an unavoidable aspect of the job. But while doctors and nurses will internalize that struggle from time to time, they are often able to set those concerns aside. You can, after all, tell yourself that there is no certainty you will suffer a heart attack, or that you will be diagnosed with cancer.
Gerontology is a bit different because it is often what happens when you don’t experience those life-threatening conditions at a premature age. Gerontological services are applied to adults with cognitive decline, or other conditions that come about naturally with age.
They are, to a certain extent, inevitable— or at least quite likely for people who live long enough. This can weigh heavily on the minds of people providing this care. It’s natural to dwell more often on the challenges that come with age when you are surrounded by them every working day.
They Deal with Family Members (A lot)
Granted, dealing with family members is a healthcare constant. Even in the more controlled hospital setting, people related to or closely associated with the firm will want to check in and—all too often— play armchair doctor.
Because gerontological care is more frequent and personal, these interactions only deepen. As always, it is the gerontologist’s job to advocate for the patient’s needs over everything else. However, in the more intimate settings so frequently associated with this type of care, it’s easier for the lines to blur a bit.
They May Go Directly Into People’s Homes
One goal of gerontological care is to provide the patient with as much normalcy and autonomy as possible. In some cases, this will mean care providers go directly into patients’ homes. While this can be a pleasing change of pace for people who are used to the more sterile hospital environment, it does introduce variables into the workflow that may require adjustments.
For one thing, the gerontological care provider must in some ways assert their authority in an environment that has traditionally been controlled by someone else. It can also contribute to the challenges of dealing with family members. It’s harder to leverage authority over someone when you are standing on the same rug they used to play Legos on when they were a kid.
Patients Die
Almost every doctor and nurse will deal with patient loss— sometimes it happens very frequently. In gerontology, it is often the standard experience. While not quite the same thing as hospice care, gerontology typically involve people who have reached the final stage of their life.
Gerontology care providers will lose patients— often people they have been working with for a long time and grown close with. It’s an emotionally challenging aspect of the job that is difficult to fully understand until you have experienced it firsthand.
How to Work as a Gerontology Care Provider
Registered nurses can work in gerontology by getting a specialized certification. However, many people who provide gerontology care are nurse practitioners. Nurse practitioners have more medical autonomy and have been trained at an advanced level.
Becoming a nurse practitioner will require a graduate degree, which usually takes 2-3 years to complete. Some nursing students who have not completed their undergraduate studies may be eligible to effectively combine their undergraduate and graduate degrees to complete both in around five years. These accelerated programs are difficult, but they are ultimately a great way to get started in a career you are passionate about.
Gerontology nursing is not easy— but then neither are any of its counterparts. Here’s what’s true: many of the hardest aspects of nursing are experienced more frequently in gerontology. The losses, the difficult moments. But there is also a lot of joy.
You are seeing people at their worst, but you also get to know that you are making their lives a little bit better. It’s through gerontology that many patients are given autonomy and other joys that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. If you are interested in making a difference in other people’s lives, this will be an excellent career path to consider.
