Geriatric Psychotherapy is a form of therapy specifically designed to address the needs of elderly patients. It can be used to help manage a range of issues, including anxiety, depression, dementia, and pain. One of the key features of Geriatric Psychotherapy is its focus on building stronger relationships between the therapist and patient. This helps create a supportive environment in which patients feel comfortable discussing issues, suffering, or concerns. This type of therapy takes place over a series of regular sessions. It can be performed either at home or in a professional setting, such as an assisted living center. The number of weekly sessions varies depending on the patient’s needs and their ability to participate in the program.
Elder mental health issues: What issues affect older adults mostly?
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry, fear or panic. People feel anxious when they’re faced with a threat, whether it’s real or imagined. For an elderly person, anxiety can be caused by a variety of factors including:
– Anxiety about the future and what the future might hold. This can be especially common in people who are nearing the end of their life.
– Fear of being alone or isolated.
– Worries about health and illness.
– Concerns about financial security.
What is Geriatric Depression?
Geriatric depression is a mental health condition that causes people to feel sad, hopeless, and unmotivated. It can be a normal response to difficult life events, such as the death of a loved one, divorce, or retirement. Geriatric depression is a major form of the many mental disorders among older adults. However, depression can also occur in people who aren’t suffering from any other conditions. Elderly individuals may become depressed due to:
– Ageing and the effect it has on their body and mind.
– Loss of independence.
– Changes in their social life, such as the death of a spouse or friends.
– The experience of physical pain.
What is Dementia?
Dementia is a brain disorder that affects a person’s ability to think, remember, and communicate. It can lead to a wide range of symptoms, including changes in personality and behavior. Dementia is a progressive condition, which means symptoms will get gradually worse over time. It’s caused by damage to the brain that interferes with its ability to function normally.
The most common cause of dementia in elderly individuals is Alzheimer’s disease. Other conditions that can lead to dementia include:
– Vascular dementia.
– Parkinson’s disease.
– Huntington’s disease.
– Alcohol abuse.
– Frontotemporal dementia.
Dementia is a common cause of psychological distress in elderly individuals, especially those suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease. In many cases, depression and anxiety will also be present. People in their golden years are advised to live in a nursing home because preliminary findings on most published literature show that the institutional settings that favor interpersonal psychotherapy medical care as the main treatment approaches have effective treatment percentage.
What is Pain?
Pain is a complex experience that depends on the people’s:
– Physical condition and overall health.
– Mood and mental state.
– The circumstances in which the pain arises (whether it occurs as a result of an injury or other causes).
– Personal expectations and beliefs about pain.
Pain is a common problem for elderly individuals. It can be caused by a wide variety of health conditions, such as arthritis, cancer, and heart disease. In some cases, pain may persist even after the health condition has been treated.
How does Geriatric Psychotherapy help?
Geriatric Psychotherapy can help elderly patients to:
– Manage and cope with symptoms of anxiety, depression, or dementia
– Reduce feelings of pain or discomfort.
– Maintain positive relationships with friends and family.
– Continue living as independently as possible for as long as possible.
Geriatric Psychotherapy does not aim to cure physical conditions like depression, dementia, or pain, but it can help patients to manage these conditions successfully.
Other issues include;
Insomnia
Due to a confluence of factors — a lack of exercise, an uptick in medications, and a less-than-optimal diet, for example — many seniors have problems getting a good night’s sleep. In fact, research suggests that nearly half of the elder population experience insomnia at one point or another. Unfortunately, sleep issues can translate into a host of other problems — like irritability, exhaustion, and drug addiction.
Drug addiction When you think of people addicted to drugs, the older population might not be the first group that pops into mind. Believe it or not, research suggests that 5.7 million seniors are suffering from drug addiction today. Moreover, 6 million seniors consume alcohol, 132,000 use marijuana, and 4,300 use cocaine on an average day. On top of this, there’s been an increase in opioid use among this age group in recent years. Add it all up, and drug addiction among seniors is a growing crisis. The aging process comes with insomnia according to most research literature, mental health issues start to develop, and with the advancing age elderly clients experience this most as their age increases. Treating depression among elderly clients especially those in nursing homes through interpersonal therapy and efficient social support among all age groups has shown better results.
Depression
As people age, it’s not uncommon for them to have more time to think about their lives and their place in this world. Someone might begin to dwell on a mistake they made two decades ago and ruminate on it obsessively because they have more time on their hands than they’re used to, for example. Another individual might wish they pursued a different career. Either situation is an example of someone worrying about something they have no control over.
While some seniors have a natural propensity toward depression, others began developing the issue in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The abrupt transformation of our lives — coupled with fear over the virus itself and profound social isolation — was particularly difficult for certain seniors to process, causing them to become depressed. Late-life depression is one major problem as reported by many mental health professionals; it brings about serious mental illness among elderly people. Emotional disorders affect healthy aging as well as affect physical health. Some of the depression symptoms seen on depressed older adults include sleep disorders, cognitive impairment, and a decrease in self-esteem.
According to evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, the older adult population show positive coping skills on the results based on the many randomized controlled trials. Life review therapy is a form of geriatric psychotherapy that helps older adults to review their life experiences and identify the meaningful aspects. This type of therapy can help reduce feelings of anxiety or depression and improve quality of life. Psychiatric clinics help formulate coping strategies to enable older adults to practice healthy aging and treat help in addressing issues of self-esteem. Many private practice offers psychological services and psychological treatments to family members with family issues and has age-related psychological problems, when geriatric psychiatry is used to treat them significant improvements are noticed in the earlier stages compared to those of younger people.
Bereavement
When you live long enough, you see a lot of people you care about die. Whether it’s an old colleague, a childhood friend, a family member, a spouse, or even a child, losing a loved one can be an incredibly difficult period for everyone, including our elders. Depending on how the individual experiences it, bereavement can ultimately turn into profound, almost crippling grief.
Bereavement can also cause a slew of other thoughts and behaviors, including guilt, anger, and regret. For this reason, many seniors seek out professional help to process these feelings of loss and overcome bereavement-induced pain and sadness. Meta-analysis shows that with old age a person becomes more and more bereaved and this affects their cognitive abilities and also has an effect on their physical and mental stability. Older adults often report that they miss having someone to talk to and share experiences with. Counseling is often the best way for seniors to work through their feelings of loss, as talking things out can be an instrumental
Struggling with growing older
As people age, many of them begin having problems with the process of aging itself. On one hand, an individual might develop mental health issues because they’re forced to deal with chronic pain and deteriorating health. On the other, someone might have self-esteem issues as they see themselves getting older and losing their place and influence in the world. Many of these folks choose to talk to therapists to improve their outlook and live happier lives. While this list is by no means exhaustive, it should give you a better idea of the variety of different mental health issues that impact seniors.
How does Geriatric Psychotherapy work?
Geriatric Psychotherapy is based around the concept of non-directive counseling. During sessions, the patient will have plenty of time to discuss their symptoms and concerns while the therapist listens attentively and provides comforting feedback.
Thanks to active lifestyles, healthier diets, exercise, and advances in medicine and healthcare, Americans are living longer. That trend, coupled with historically low birth rates, is transforming the United States into an older population. In fact, by 2030, it’s expected that every baby boomer will be at least 65 years old and that seniors will account for one out of every five US citizens. This growing population presents a great opportunity for those who practice geriatric psychotherapy to help an increasing number of seniors live their golden years to the fullest. Keep reading to learn more about the issues that affect the older generations, why therapists need to start focusing on elder mental health, and how geriatric psychotherapy can help your practice get to the next level.
What’s the difference between geriatric psychotherapy and regular counseling?
In most cases, therapists who offer geriatric psychotherapy help clients work through their problems using a combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT). In many ways, that approach is extremely effective. However, there are some challenges that come with treating older adults. Here’s what you need to know about those challenges and how your practice can adapt so they aren’t a problem.
Differences in communication during sessions
There are a lot of reasons why seniors might seek out psychological counseling or treatment for mental health issues related to aging. On one hand, some individuals might be dealing with emotional or psychological problems caused by physical health issues. Others might be struggling with anxiety or depression related to the process of growing older. Regardless, one thing is for sure: seniors communicate differently than younger adults do. Therapists who want to provide effective geriatric psychotherapy need to be aware of those differences and make an effort to adapt their communication styles accordingly. For example, elders often take a lot longer to get to the point and they often use more words than necessary when explaining things. They also appreciate it when therapists avoid using jargon or medical terminology that they might not understand. It’s also important for therapists to remember that many seniors are quite suspicious of authority figures, so they may reluctant to open up about their problems or fears. It can take a lot of time and patience to build trust with these clients.
Different needs and goals
Another challenge that comes with providing geriatric psychotherapy is that the needs and goals of seniors vary greatly from those of younger adults. For example, many seniors are interested in improving their quality of life and maintaining their independence as long as possible. They may also be looking for ways to cope with feelings of loneliness or isolation. In contrast, younger adults are more likely to seek out therapy in order to deal with problems such as anxiety or depression that are interfering with their day-to-day lives. They may also be more interested in exploring their personal beliefs and identity issues. Therapists who want to provide geriatric psychotherapy need to be aware of these differences and make sure they are addressing the specific needs and goals of their elderly clients.
