Select recommended assessment considerations for the older adult. Appraise biopsychosocial considerations for the assessment for the older adult. Implicit in Healthcare Implicit bias significantly affects how healthcare professionals perceive and make treatment decisions, ultimately resulting in disparities in health outcomes. These biases, often unconscious and unintentional, can shape behavior and produce differences in medical care along various lines, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, and socioeconomic status. Healthcare disparities stemming from implicit bias can Course overview The healthcare worker meeting mental health needs will be able to view the older adult within the context of aging theories and identify interpersonal connection, biopsychosocial elements, and the assessment and treatment for common mental health problems in the older adult. The target audience is any Learning objectives Upon completion of this course, the learner will be able to do the following: Examine the most common theories on aging, developmental tasks, and reflection from the older adult perspective. Evaluate essential components of the therapeutic alliance with the older adult. Demonstrate verbal communication styles that enhance the interpersonal connection with the older adult. Aging is a normal biological process. It is a distinctive, often progressive, natural decline in functioning that includes all body systems— cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, and neurological, to note a few. Elderly is a term often used interchangeably with older adult , which the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry (Lundebjerg et al., 2017) defines as those age 65 years and older, which qualifies them for Medicare eligibility. This patient population is projected to double from 2015 to 2050 worldwide (World Health Organization, 2017). As the world population rapidly increases, so too do mental health needs. Everyone will experience aging on some level, but differing The inevitability of aging and its developmental stages in association with human health have been studied and debated over the years. What follows is a summarization of the most common theories on older adulthood, from Sigmund Freud, Heinz Kohut, Bernice Neugarten, Daniel Levinson, and Erik Erikson. Healthcare workers see aspects of each of these while assessing and caring for the older adult’s mental health needs. Sigmund Freud was focused on the need to control the ego (part of the human psyche that operates in the real world) and id (part of the human psyche that strives to fulfill primal needs) with the superego (internalized values and morals that push the ego to act in a more virtuous way). Regression may induce rudimentary methods of coping to resurface in the older adult (Sadock et al., 2015). Heinz Kohut stated that the elderly are constantly faced with narcissistic injury as they cope and adapt to the biological, psychological, and social losses associated with the aging process. The central task of aging is preservation of self-esteem (Sadock et al., 2015). Bernice Neugarten theorized the major conflict of old age to lie in the release of autonomy and authority; the focus is on accomplishments and previous victory. This time is for reconciliation with others and processing grief related to the death of others and the inevitability of death of self (Sadock et al., 2015). Daniel Levinson found that age 60 to 65 is a transition period. Older people, “late adults,” become consumed by the thought of their death and are often narcissistic and heavily engrossed in their body appearance. He found that creative mental activity is recommended and is
Analyze crisis, loss, grief, and bereavement for the older adult. Distinguish risk factors, treatment, and recovery for the older adult with a mental health diagnosis. manifest in several ways. For example, a healthcare provider might unconsciously give less attention to a patient or make assumptions about their medical needs based on race, gender, or age. The unconscious assumptions can lead to delayed or inadequate care, misdiagnoses, or inappropriate treatments, all of which can adversely impact health outcomes. healthcare worker who will assess, intervene, or treat mental health needs of an older adult client. Registered nurses, mental health technicians, mental health providers, case managers, and primary care healthcare workers can benefit from the perspective provided by this course. Differentiate the social determinants of health and the barriers to care for the older adult. Select recommended assessment considerations for the older adult. Appraise biopsychosocial considerations for the assessment for the older adult. Analyze crisis, loss, grief, and bereavement for the older adult. Distinguish risk factors, treatment, and recovery for the older adult with a mental health diagnosis. populations will advance at different rates. However, increasing age is not proportionally associated with declining intellectual and physical capacity. Older adults with mental health needs are a population subset with specific characteristics for the healthcare worker. The ability to thoroughly assess and diagnose, individualize care (whether lifestyle related or pharmacologic), and tailor mental health interventions for the older adult can improve quality care and safety. The unique presentation of the older adult can provide a better understanding for assessment, intervention, and treatment considerations for the healthcare worker addressing the mental health needs of the older adult. a healthy substitute for decreased physical activity (Sadock et al., 2015). All the above theorists have aspects of interest for the healthcare worker to note; however, Erik Erickson’s eight psychosocial stages of development are especially worthwhile to consume prior to working with an older adult. Erik Erikson created a framework that highlights tasks to be accomplished, virtues to be gained, or—conversely—a crisis can occur throughout the life span. He expanded on Freud’s theory by recognizing the relationship between the individual and their environment to include a client’s customs and traditions (Sadock et al., 2015). The healthcare worker should approach each client’s meaning, acceptance, or toil with life and death with cultural awareness. Erikson’s stages from birth to older adult are a trajectory of development, an amalgamation of physical, cognitive, instinctual, and sexual realms (Sadock et al., 2015). An interruption or inability to accomplish the tasks in each stage may lead the client to undergo a decision point in their life. The older adult is influenced by each stage along the continuum. The healthcare worker can gain much by capturing the perspective of the older adult client through the lens of the stages of Erik Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development. Stage 1 is trust versus mistrust (usually met in infancy and has an associated virtue of hope); stage 2 is autonomy versus shame (usually met in the toddler timeframe with an associated virtue of will); stage 3 is initiative versus guilt (usually met in the preschool age and the associated virtue is purpose); stage 4 is industry versus inferiority
INTRODUCTION
THEORIES ON AGING
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Book Code: PYMA2024
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