WORKING WITH THE AGING PAPER
Abstract
Many people fear to get old. That is the society we live in. Many of us will in one way or another experience things like loss of teeth, memory, hair, and even getting wrinkles. We may end up not being able to care for ourselves like before. Several skin care products and drugs have been invented to prevent the process of aging. In the year 2014, GCU stated that human beings are trying to delay aging and prolong youth. The idea of becoming old is accompanied by very many myths. To embrace the aspect that aging is a natural thing, people need to be educated on the aging process.
Keywords: Aging, Youth, Myths
The stereotype about the Elderly that is Prevalent in the Society
Studies show that people can live lengthier periods today. The elderly have to accept the aging process. Assumptions made by some societies are that people tend to lose their value as they grow old (Hirschi, 2017). The assumptions ought to be wrong because the elderly are changing their career and working even after retirement age. Courtesy of their experience and wisdom, they have more to offer. The fact that they like helping the current generation and also volunteering their time makes the acceptable.
Physical and Cognitive Issues Involved in Aging
Processing speed
Processing speed is simply the speed associated with motor response. The ability of the fluid begins to decline with aging. Slow processing speed is one of the cognitive effects reported in the elderly. This state can negatively affect the performance of old ones in the community.
Attention
Attention is simply the ability to focus and concentrate (Duncan and Magnuson, 2011). The auditory attention span reduces in late life. Divided attention refers to the ability to eventually focus on several tasks. Divided attention widely affects the elderly. The older adults usually find it hard to handle errands, which involve working retention. They cannot hold information in their retention and still manipulate that information at the same time.
Memory
In terms of memory, older adults cannot perform in the same way as younger adults. Slow processing speed can be responsible for this. Acquisition refers to the ability to encrypt information in memory. Acquisition rate decreases across the lifespan. Memory retrieval refers to the ability to access newly learned information. The elderly have declined memory retrieval.
Mental Health Treatment Issues Involved in Working with the Aging Client
Dementia
The syndrome known as dementia is a nature which involves deterioration in behavior, thinking, memory, and the ability to carry out daily activities (Palmiero et al., 2012). It is not a normal part of aging. The older people are the ones who are usually affected by nature. A total of 50 million people are estimated to live with dementia. This is approximately 60% of people living in middle and low-income countries. It is associated with significant economic and social issues. They include direct costs of social, medical, and informal care.
Depression
Great suffering can be caused by depression. It can cause impaired functioning in life. 7% of older adults experience unipolar depression. The ones over 60 years contribute to 5.7% of YLDs. The primary care setting poorly diagnoses and treats depression. This is because its symptoms are usually undertreated and overlooked as they occur together with other issues experienced by the elderly. The perception of poor health is increased by the aspect of depression.
End-of-life care can be contributed to by a psychologist. The period matters a lot. That is after diagnosing the illness, before an illness strikes or when treatment commences. It can also be when the illness is in its advanced stage and after death. It can be done to both the clients and the relatives.
Conclusion
The population of the older adults keeps on increasing in number. Their mental health needs also increase. The challenging part is to estimate the recent mental health workforce responsible for serving the elderly. An obvious consensus in the recent workforce is not sufficient to meet the current and anticipated future demands.
References
Hirschi, T., (2017). Causes of delinquency. Routledge.
Duncan, G. J., & Magnuson, K., (2011). The nature and impact of early achievement skills, attention skills, and behavior problems. Whither opportunity, 47-70.
Palmiero, M., Di Giacomo, D., & Passafiume, D. (2012). Creativity and dementia: a review. Cognitive processing, 13(3), 193-209.