In a fast-paced society that places a premium on youth and tends to dismiss the elderly, at least four UWindsor nursing students are rethinking how they view the aged while pledging to provide seniors the respectful care they deserve once they begin practicing.

“Older people should be regarded as self-reliant individuals who are capable of making decisions about their care,” said Misan Grage, a fourth-year nursing student. “Older people need to be treated with the same respect and level of care as younger people.”

Grage was one of a class of students in nursing professor Lorna de Witt’s health issues in gerontology course assigned to write a personal philosophy on aging that could be applied to how they practice nursing. Students were asked to write about a defining moment when they realized something significant about aging, an exercise Dr. de Witt said would help students “personally connect with the aging process.”

Excerpts from some of their submissions, along with de Witt’s explanation of the value of the assignment, were recently published in Perspectives: Journal of the Gerontological Nursing Association.

For Grage, originally from Nigeria where she says the elderly are treated with far more dignity than in western cultures, her defining moment came while watching a video that portrayed negative stereotypes people commonly associate with seniors.

“I realized that older people deserve to be recognized for their distinct personalities rather than be addressed inappropriately because of their age,” she wrote.

Candice Webster said her defining moment came on placement in a local hospital. Concerned about an elderly patient who was confused, she brought up the matter with another nurse who dismissed it as a symptom of getting old. Having recently learned about delirium, she raised the issue with her professor who ordered a test which confirmed the patient was, in fact, suffering from the disorder.

“It made me think differently,” she replied when asked what the experience taught her and how it might change the way she works. “You have to be able to think independently and go with your gut. I’m going to listen to myself. If I think something is wrong, I’m going to investigate it even if people are telling me not to.”

Jaclyn McCarthy, whose work was also published, wrote about the occasion of her grandmother’s 80th birthday.

“My eyes became opened to the life that she lives, a life of success to which I also aspire,” she wrote of her meme, who is now 85. “She overcame unbelievable obstacles to get where she is today. Through examining her life, I developed values that form my philosophy of aging. These include having strong support, a positive outlook, and a deep connection with one’s spirituality.”

Adam Pawlowicz said a visit from his grandfather from Poland inspired his values regarding aging: dignity, respect and independence.

“I am determined to strengthen and add to these values to better care for older people in my nursing practice,” he said.

The quality of their work and the fact that it was published clearly delighted de Witt.

“I’m so proud of my students,” she said.