As a Gerontology minor student, I have learned the importance of helping older adults with their daily activities. It is also a proven fact that the burden of becoming a caregiver for an elderly, and taking care of a loved one full or even part time, nearly always becomes the responsibility of the family of elderly. Based on my research, I have found out how a Geriatric Counselor can provide assistance to older adults and their families with issues related to the aging process The help that can be received from a Geriatric Counselor can often make the lives of older adults and their families much easier by reducing the burden, and providing convenient, comfort, and ultimately a better quality of life for those in the later years of their lives.
Further in my research, I gained even more knowledge about the significant growth of elderly population and the increase needs for geriatric professionals in nearly all societies. As per Fred Stickle and Jill Onedera (2006), in Teaching Gerontology in Counselor Education, “Mental health needs of older persons are projected to grow significantly over the course of the next years. Consequently, the need for training counselors to work with the aging population is presented.” They clearly explain essential importance of the education and training of geriatric professionals, specifically Geriatric Counselors, because they all should be able to apply the principles of ethics, whether regarding a self-determination decision or a person`s autonomy .
According to Counselor-License.com, “Areas of concern include everything from the retirement transition clear through to the end of life.”(Counselor-License, 2014) Moreover, it is highly challenging for many individuals to cope with the loss of perso...
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...upport services, processing insurance claims, legal assistance services, Hospice care coordination, prescription refill services, money management, bill paying services, and etc.
Another important part of working with a large group of geriatric staff as a Geriatric Counselor is to build a bridge for a better relationship between the staff and patients. This can also help to create a better work environment among the staff. Paul R. Welter, a licensed Psychologist, believes that counselor training program for geriatric care settings will emphasize personal discovery in giving and receiving. In his book, he emphasizes the importance of giving, as well as receiving. It is important to consider the sensitivity of learning styles, inclusion of residents in a workshop atmosphere, continuing involvement of the leader, and a focus on tasks and relationships. (Welter, 1987)
older adults. Journal of Nursing Education, 47(6), 269-271. Retrieved from CINAHL Plus with Full Text database.
An interview was arranged with an older adult to discuss issues related to aging. The interview was designed to gain appreciation and understanding of an older adult. One theory of aging came into mind when I thought about this topic. Erik Erikson Life-Course and Personality Development theory, “Erikson described the task of old age as balancing the search for integrity and wholeness with a sense of despair.” NS is the older adult that I conducted the interview with. I’ve decided to pick NS to interview because she is very positive about life and her age. Everything that I have come across about aging is negative such as depression, isolation, and illness.
Roberto, K. A., & Jarrott, S. E. (2008, January). Family Caregivers of Older Adults: A Life Span Perspective. Family Relations , 100-111.
As Dr. Rodale plans to retire, she should refer to the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists in order to address the retirement concerns. In this paper, the following concerns will be addressed: making plans to notify the clients and colleagues, maintaining the clinical records, dealing with the clinical concerns, and working through her personal concerns (McGee, 2003).
More specifically, the transitions associated with later life like retirement, medical problems, death of a loved ones, reduced social networks leads to depression in aging population (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2009). It is seen that depression is one of the most common mental disorder among adults aged 65 and older (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2009).Depression is associated with anxiety and suffering that can lead to physical, mental, and social impairments. The presence of depressive disorders often negatively impact the course and complicates the treatment of other chronic diseases too (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2009).According to National Alliance of Mental Illness there are more than two million of the 40 million Americans age 65 and older who suffer from some form of depression (National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), 2009).
Cooley, S., Deitch, I., Harper, M., Hinrichsen, G., Lopez, M., & Molinari, V. (1998). What practioners should know about working with older adults. American Psychological Association, Retrieved from http://www.nova.edu/gec/forms/practitioners_older_adults.pdf
In conclusion, I have discussed the psychosocial, biological and nursing theories of aging that most align and best explain my personal views of successful aging. I have also identified the changing demographics of the older adult population that is now and soon will be seeking healthcare, and the influences and demands it will have on healthcare professionals in the future.
Older adults are a very knowledgeable population and have had a lot of life experiences. As people age, things start to change physically, mentally, and socially. It’s important to understand the process of aging, so that older adults can be taken care of properly. I interviewed P.R. who is a 71-year-old male that lives alone in his home. P.R. is a retired coal miner, and is currently living off his social security and savings. He lives close to both his daughter and son, who frequently help him out with things that are needed. P.R. was able to give me a lot of insight about specific challenges that he has experienced in his life that is associated with aging. I will be discussing challenges that P.R experienced physically, mentally,
2. Bauer M, Nay R. Improving family-staff relationships in assisted living facilities: the views of family. Journal Of Advanced Nursing [serial online]. June 2011;67(6):1232-1241.
Several barriers exist, for example, some practitioners feel as if they have limited experience in this area, many feel older adults are depressed and lonely, and it may be a challenge to work with them. However, over the last 30 years the field has made significant progress and more social workers are taking an interest in working with this population. The writer enjoyed this assignment because she was challenged to reflect on her views regarding older adults. It was easy for her to dismiss their existence and what they have to offer because they function differently from the writer. This situation opened the writer’s eyes because she never took the time to assess this population’s strengths. If the individual in the store were someone she knew, she would have behaved differently. The writer recognizes this man may be someone’s cousin, father, granddad, friend and husband. Therefore, he should be treated with dignity and respect and not minimized because he moves a little slower than others. This reflection is a reminder that she to assess and evaluate her biases regarding older adults because they are just as significant as any other
The life expectancy of aging adults has increased therefore; the need for counseling psychologist to provide services to this population has become more prevalent now than ever before. Due to physical and psychological decline, dependency issues, unexpected loss of employment, societal consequences and death are all challenges that older adults face throughout the aging process. This chapter highlights the growing issues that older adults often face.
Adults are self-motivated learners. Adult’s great desire to learn is brought about by immediate need to solve practical problems. Adult learners decide what to learn, the need to learn, how to learn and when to learn. This concept applies to the topic of providing care to the elderly and resolving practical problems. Adults want to learn how to solve problems and why they are doing it (which is improving the emotional, psychological and physical wellbeing of loved ones).As problem centered learners adult care givers take responsibility in learning ways to solve this
America is a country where everyone is free to live however they like, but it is possible for some people to live a happy life, if no one is around to take care of them. Nearly three hundred million people reside in the America, and out of those three hundred million populations, senior citizens make a 12 percent of the entire population. A senior citizen is commonly known as a person who is over the age of 65 and living on retirement, or known as social security benefits (Census Bureau). Ever since Franklin D. Roosevelt implied the act of Social Security in 1935, seniors are regularly provided a financial help, but seniors, along with financial help, seeks also accompany of someone who can look after them. Because of constantly growing needs of senior citizens, government as well as many non-profit organizations is working on helping seniors. Therefore I decided to research on this particular issue in my community, and I found that 64.5% of seniors are living alone in metropolitan area of Atlanta.
After having attained a Bachelor’s degree in Zoology and a Master’s degree in Gerontology, I felt I should gain some first-hand experience in physical therapy and thus volunteered to work as a caregiver in a reputed Evergreen rehabilitation center Ga. However, while working as a caregiver I realized I needed to learn much more in order to provide better care in meeting the psychological and physical caring needs of the elderly. I have always had the inherent desire to serve the elderly in reducing their hardships and providing them with the much needed physical and psychological support so that they can lead a happy and trouble-free life.
Geriatric nurses are to provide disease prevention, health promotion, and positive aging. The American Journal of Nursing, the American Nurses Association, and John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for geriatric nursing contributed to the development of gerontological nursing (Pierre, “Gerontological Nursing”). In 2001, the John A. Hartford Foundation awarded the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) a $3.99 million grant to launch a new initiative entitled “Enhancing Geriatric Nursing Education in Undergraduate Advanced Practice Nursing Programs” (AACN, “Caring for an Aging America”). In the early 1960’s, the ANA created a cabil of nurses to convened the first national geriatric nursing practice. Geriatric nursing gives an encompassing view of the care for older adults. Florence Nightingale and Doreen Norton provided insights on caring for the aged.