Ageism in health care needs to end, doctor says

Some doctors are warning of a culture of ageism in the medical world, saying health workers commonlytreat old people as though they don't deserve the same care asyounger Canadians.

Nathan Stallhas just graduated from medical schoolandunlike the other 146 students in his class at Western University in London, Ont., he plans to specialize in geriatrics.

Stall laments how old people with multiple chronic illnesses are often viewedas second-rate patients.

"They're often not afforded the same investigations, the same histories that another patient would be afforded under the same circumstances," Stall said in an interview.

Writing in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Stall called for sweeping changes atmedical schools.

"Unquestionably, this process should begin with the eradication of ageism a zero-tolerance policy should be mandated with offenders being reprimanded as they would be for prejudicing patients based on gender, race, religion or sexuality," he wrote.

To learn more about treating the elderly,Stall sought outmedical mentors who work tohelp keep seniors healthy in their own homes.

When a doctor said 98-year-old Gian Chawla of Torontowas too sick to treat while in hospital,a palliative care doctor came to administer medication, her son said.

"We thought the tranquillizer was meant to put her to sleep," son Krishna Chawla recalled tearfully.

The drug left the elderly woman gasping for breath until she was rushed to another hospital.

Her heart problems andchronic kidney failure are now treated at home by Mark Nowaczynski, a rare doctor who makes house calls, as well asStall and her caregiversons.

Growing geriatrician shortage

"Patients are discharged from hospital, they haven't been properly treated, and you sort of look at what was done and you realize the team that was taking care of them thought, 'Oh well, this person is probably going to die and so we put on a little Band-Aid here and send them home,' " Nowaczynski said.

Stall said a pervasive culture of discrimination against elderly patientsmakes geriatrics a less attractive field for new doctors. In hospitals, the elderly arecommonly called "bed blockers" who areblamed for taking up too much time and resources.

"We need about 800 geriatricians across the country working in partnership with family doctors to care for the needs of the current aging population," said Samir Sinha, head of geriatrics at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. "There are only 200 geriatricians in Canada at the moment."

The country'selderly demographic is setto double in the next 20 years and seniors deserve the same dignity, care and options asother patients, Stall said.