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Home / 2016 / August / 02 / Risky business: Seniors don’t acknowledge post-hospitalization vulnerability
Research

Risky business: Seniors don’t acknowledge post-hospitalization vulnerability

August 2, 2016

UBC professors Rachelle Hole (left) and Kathy Rush

UBC professors, Rachelle Hole (left) and Kathy Rush have shown that older adults who have been discharged from the hospital following serious ailments tend to minimize or even lie about the risks related to their condition.

Everyone lies, including seniors.

According to a new study from UBC, older adults who have been discharged from the hospital following serious ailments tend to minimize or even lie about risks related to their condition and its management in order to avoid being seen as vulnerable.

“These patients want to return to a “normal” pre-hospitalization life immediately, even if it is no longer possible” says Rachelle Hole, associate professor of Social Work at UBC’s Okanagan campus and the study’s co-author. “This will lead them to downplay, hide or mask their risks. These strategies may backfire and result in rehospitalisation, relapse, or worse.”

The study involved profiling older adults—with an average age of 82 years—recently discharged from the hospital, following a heart-related event, such as a heart attack. When asked about their post-hospital health risks, capabilities, and their self-perception the participants preferred to highlight their abilities rather than discuss their risk for future health issues, complications or relapse.

The group associated the admission of a health risk with being disabled, incompetent and no longer independent.

“These findings suggest that the type of conversation health care providers have may significantly influence the patients’ well-being,” says co-author Kathy Rush, associate professor of Nursing. “Seniors equate risk with loss and it may be more beneficial to change the conversation to focus on strengths.

“It may also be useful to communicate standardized instructions with the family present to ensure a smooth transition from hospital to home.”

Today, one in seven Canadians is aged 65 or over. By 2036, this will increase to almost one in four. Many older adults are at risk of rehospitalisation, during the first weeks following discharge, a risk often associated with physical weakness, new and unfamiliar medications and new psychological issues

This research, recently published in The Gerontologist, was funded by UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Health and Social Development.

Media Contact

Matthew Grant
Associate Director
Public Affairs

The University of British Columbia
Okanagan campus
Tel: 250-807-9926
E-mail: matthew.grant@ubc.ca

Content type: Media Release
More content from: Faculty of Health and Social Development, School of Nursing, School of Social Work

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About UBC Okanagan

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning founded in partnership with local Indigenous peoples, the Syilx Okanagan Nation, in whose traditional, ancestral and unceded territory the campus resides. The most established and influential global rankings all consistently place UBC in the top five per cent of universities in the world, and among the top three Canadian universities.

The Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world in British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley. For more visit ok.ubc.ca.

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