Group Reminiscence Therapy

Aging is very complex and highly individualized process which begins at conception and end with death. Variables such as physical or cognitive impairments, socioeconomic aspect, cultural values, and beliefs make an aging process unique to each individual. I interviewed an elderly woman using a set of guided questionnaires on the topic to further explore her aging experience. For the purpose of this assignment, I will refer to the client interviewed as a D.L., a changed name for a reason of privacy and confidentiality. During the interview, we explored a D.L. strategy to stay healthy, significant accomplishments of her life, hobbies and activities, retirement, and finally the goals for the future.

Successful aging is a complicated and multifaceted concept that varies contextually among individuals, disciplines, and even time. Gerontologists have traditionally considered a person to have aged successfully upon having reached old age with their physical health, mental well-being and spirit still intact. Ultimately, successful aging is a matter of personal perspective, largely influenced by an individual 's values and experiences. Even those within America 's elderly population hold conflicting perspectives on what it means to have aged successfully. A qualitative study published by Reichstadt and Sengupta titled Older Adults ' Perspectives on Successful Aging, concluded that “older adults viewed successful aging as a balance between self-acceptance and self-contentedness on one hand and engagement with life and self-growth in later life on the other” (Reichstadt, "Older Adults ' Perspectives on Successful Aging: Qualitative Interviews", pp. 567-575.)

Aging and being old was dominated by negative characteristics and conditions such as illness, depression, and isolation for a long time (Eibach, Mock, & Courtney, 2010). At first glance the terms “success” and “aging” seem to be in conflict to each other. When asking people about aging, their answers have many facets that are also found in psychological definitions: successful aging is seen as health, maturity and personal growth, self-acceptance, happiness, generativity, coping, and acceptance of age-related limitations. In the psychological sense successful aging is also often seen as the absence of age-associated characteristics (Strawbridge, Wallhagen, & Cohen, 2002). It seems that successful aging means is not aging.

Analyzing late adulthood and the death of an individual as a culmination of the life span development process one must understand late adulthood consists of. This paper will give a brief overview of ageism and stereotypes associate with late adulthood. This will explain how health and wellness techniques in the late adulthood stages can mitigate the negative effects of aging. As people age the social views and experiences changes in relationships and interactions with individuals, as he or she nears end of life. When closely approaching the end of life, a person has cultural and personal attitudes about death and dignity in late adulthood.

Reminiscence therapy is a positive pastime for people with dementia and there is a evidence to suggest that the process is helpful in improving overall psychological wellbeing and in preventing further psychological deterioration. The purpose of the study is to observe the methods of Alzheimer’s disease treatment and help those people to recollect the memories from the past. The research shows that there are several ways in making possible for Alzheimer’s patients to get better in their daily activities as per my own experience similar to this disease. According to the researcher Alan, accounts for 42 percent of cases, and 1 in 9 Americans over 65 of age has Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. I was very surprise with the result because

Aging is a universal phenomenon and humans are no exception. Gerontology deals with the psychological, social and biological aspects of aging process. A recent study shows that people aged 85 years and older are expected to augment from 5.3 million people to 21 million as the world reach 2050. In today’s world Gerontology has an enormous role to play so that the senior citizens could be analyzed and their needs may be addressed with compassion and empathy.

Later adulthood is the time in life when changes in marriage, families, and peer relationships are affected the most by the loss of someone close to that person. “Most people 70 years of age or older are widowed, divorced, or single” (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010, p.619). Losing a spouse or close friend can create a sense of loneliness, which causes depression, anxiety and the emptiness feeling can become overwhelming. Depression also leads to psychological effects that will deteriorate a person’s health causing the chance for a terminal disease to become much higher. The weaker appearance of older adults causes family and remaining peers to step up in the role of making sure the person’s wellbeing is being met. (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010). Living accommodations and healthcare needs

share with you. There may need to be a code of practise put in place

Obviously, there are some inevitable biological and psychological changes that occur with aging, and because of those changes, older adult may face some challenges. However, ‘aging’ by itself should not be considered as a’ failure or ‘ decline’. Older people can continue living the way they used to and at

With aging there comes many issues that you might have to face, but there are also many benefits when you get to that point as well. Benefits that come with aging might include, you remembering the good things and forgetting the bad, you’re able to have less negativity in your life, and have a wiser perspective of life. With good things, there are also some not so good things such as social and emotional issues. Social issues that could develop include loneliness from losing a spouse, or long term friend, difficulty in not being as independent as you once was, and feeling as if you’re not as important to your children anymore. Emotional issues can include being alone, or having medical issues that could cause depression. Depression can impact

The program that will be evaluated is a closed ten-week psychotherapy group focused on increasing support and connection around the aging process. Several topics will be discussed during this ten-week period. These include: increasing

Many older adults withdraw from those around them as hearing, vision, and the ability to verbalize words decline. This disorientation to time and withdraw can not only quicken other health disparities, it can also lead to depression. According to Elias, Neville, & Scott (2015), older adults can participate in several types of remanence therapies to help them converse about life experiences. Although there are several types of remanence therapies, each form concentrates in reducing stress, loneliness, and depression in older adults. Research shows that older adults who reminiscences and tells stories of their past life experiences, adapt better to new roles; such as was seen in the video “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom (1999). Through personal and group discussions, older adults can share stories and life insights that can encourage ego-integrity, self-worth, and role adaption as they age (Elias, Neville, & Scott,

Counselling provides a much-needed gateway to access resources and improve an elderly person’s overall well-being, sense of belonging and purpose in life. Day programs can improve an elderly person’s physical health, well-being and overall happiness which is key to successful aging. And social support networks being one of the key elements to aging well, promote good health, longevity and overall life satisfaction. That being said, much can be done to reduce the stress on families to care for

The sociological aspects of aging are defined by the activities an individual engages in while transitioning to old age. To age well, a person needs to take part in social activities that deal with family or the community. For instance, joining a members club or offering to volunteer in certain activities aid in ageing well. It is, however, important to note that social perspectives of aging are diverse across different cultures. For instance, a 40-year-old individual in the United States may not have similar ageing aspects as a person living in Africa or parts of Europe. Gerontologists have on many occasions provided a number of reasons to explain the essence of aging, yet such perspectives can comprehensively be understood

Aging can be a scary thing for many individuals. Aging can bring on fears of losing quality of life, becoming ill or disabled, losing mental capabilities, and not being able to care for one’s self, and many other issues. Some of these issues can be addressed by changing ways of thinking or finding new ways to do old things. The article THE POTENTIAL OF OLDER ADULTS TO ENHANCE COMMUNITY QUALITY OF LIFE: LINKS BETWEEN POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY AND PRODUCTIVE AGING can give people hope that some aspects of aging and quality of life are in the control of the individual who is aging.