Old Peoples : Quality Of Life

According to the American Psychological Association, one in four adults ages 65 and older experiences a mental health problem such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia or dementia. This is quite alarming because it is known that people with mental illness already receive poor care. Poor care combined with living in a society where aging is shamed causes a major concern.Negative stereotypes and attitudes are directed toward the elderly. For

As the number of the older adults is increasing so are those living with depression; therefore, it is important that perceptions around older adult depression be studied. According to the study done by the US Department of Commerce, it is estimated that the older adult population will more than likely double by 2050 and of 80 million and many as 1 in 5 Americans would be considered as an older adult (US Department of Commerce, 1995). There are many losses that accompany the aging process. These include the loss of loved ones and their independence. They begin to feel as though they will depend on their families for the rest of their lives. These factors scare them and causes many of the individuals to suffer from depression. One of the most predominant health problems in the United States is mental health. In the last 20th century, mental illness treatment has been through diverse changes in the United States. These changes have made it necessary for the policy and law makers to enact a law to protect the identity and integrity for people with mental health illness. Most individuals diagnosed with mental health illness are most often being ostracized and stigmatized. Because of social stigma attached to the individual with mental illness, their privacy is being violated and it has created so many issues in mental health.

Mental illness is a disease found worldwide, affecting a big chunk of the population. Some mental illnesses can be small such as ADHD and anxiety disorders whereas others are more severe like Borderline Personality Disorder and Schizophrenia. Treatment and understanding of these conditions used to be very poor, but the 1980’s started to change that. Although much treatment of mentally ill patients has gotten better, there is still room for improvement. With proper medication and therapy, people with mental illnesses can become fully functioning contributors to society. Most Westernized civilizations have a patient disclosure agreement that affects the patient 's ability to fully get better. Mental illnesses do not affect only old people, but they also have a huge impact on younger generations, and it is not as expensive to treat these patients as traditionally thought, especially if they are not let out before they should be. The treatment of mentally ill patients should be altered in a way that leads to patient happiness, while being cost efficient and helping future generations.

The term “aging” refers to a complex process of biological, physical, psychological and social changes in a person as he/ she ages over their lifetime. Typically, the term refers to older adults and takes on the meaning of the process of “getting old” and “being old”. It relates not only to how individuals live, act and perceive themselves, but also to society’s culture and perceptions, society’s policies and support systems designed for their needs - be it health care, social,

American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry ( 2008). Geriatrics and mental health-the facts. Retrieved from http://www.aagponline.org/prof/facts_mh.asp

The population being examined is young adults. Young adult includes those aged between 18 and 24 years. For the purpose of this paper, mentally ill refers to any variant of mental

In this discussion post, I will address why I believe the older population are categorized as vulnerable, what puts them at risk and what can be done to eliminate some of the risk. Personally, I believe the older population are vulnerable to many different facets which put them at risk. These facets include; dementia, cognitive and sensory impairments, abuse and neglect, inadequate living conditions, and malnutrition (Culo, 2011).

Mental disorders among geriatrics are one of the most costly public health dilemmas. Depression, suicidal behavior, and Alzheimer’s are just a few common mental illnesses the elderly suffers from. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention the number of older adults with mental illnesses is predicted to incline drastically. The growth of the population, has caused a burden on numerous healthcare facilities in America and many elderly individuals are less likely to seek a mental health professional. Various organizations continue to promote awareness, and preventative measures to increase longevity.

Jose M. C. de Almeida and H. Killaspy argue that the combination of pharmacological health programs with social curing programs is the most effective way of curing mental disease: “One of the main reasons why the rate of longer-term mental health service development is so often insufficient has to do with the lack of co-ordination between health services and services provided by other sectors, in particular the social sector.” (Caldas de Almeida, Killaspy, 2011) One of the examples from my care giving practice can be the work with senior people who suffered from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. There was a case with one of the patients having Alzheimer’s disease combined with partial memory loss. The man used to walk in unbuttoned shirts because he was either unable to button them or he was too irritated to do that. I was advised by colleagues and came to the conclusion that at least in order to lower the patient’s level of irritation group or personal discussions of the problem are required. Even though it was to some extent emotionally difficult to conduct successful discussions with people suffering from mental disorders conversation in the group of different women and men suffering from one disease really helped. Moreover, there were some walks with a couple of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease as well as a number of picnics. This really helped patients to see the actual results of medication and their overall emotional state. Moreover, each social care

As was documented in the textbook, “the importance of providing different levels of services to a heterogeneous population has given rise to a continuum of clinical categories” (Shi & Singh, 2015, p391). The careful consideration of specialized care is often based on the specialty of the population for which the guardianship of a patient is needed to be provided. The assignment for this essay was to discuss health services for special populations. For this composition the author chose to discuss briefly geriatric population and the mental health populations, as well as the specialty care involved with these populations. These two populations are enormously in need of recognition; in both provided care and health care costs.

Social definition of aging and the elderly It is considered 'senior' to any person who is 65 or older. However, it is necessary to warn about the arbitrariness of this decision: why are not estimated 60 years, or 70, as the lower limit when classifying this population group?. The relieved exercise of combining from the age of 65 to the elderly with the retirees cannot be taken as a solid criterion since it has become a common practice in our societies to invite many workers to leave the labor market at a later age early; not forgetting that there are plenty of people who never retire because, either materially or formally, they have never been inserted in such a market. In any case, does anyone who has 65 years of age respond to the same sociological profile (characteristics such as his health, educational level, economic position, family network, even his appearance) than the one who had the same age a couple of decades ago ?. Absolutely. In addition to being arbitrary, it is an artificial decision because no one gets up one-morning being 'adult' and the next 'older' for the mere fact of celebrating a

Even though everyone at pivotal times in tier life often feel pressured and overwhelmed. And, occasional. However, prolonged and untreated depression and other emotional matter can evolve into full blown mental health concerns. Experts say, mental illness problems are not just produced in older adults, certain ethnicity, cultural background or age. But, mental illness disorders add the American Psychiatric Association, (2012) doesn’t not discriminates it spans thorough all population, disrupting the everyday function of life.

The study of aging and old age is referred to as Gerontology (Stuart- Hamilton, 2011, p. 1). The study of Gerontology is concerned with the changes, which affect older adults (Stuart- Hamilton, 2011, p. 1). The main role of Gerontology is to not only explain the aging process, but to also improve older adults lives and experiences (Stuart- Hamilton, 2011, p. 18). Gerontology is interdisciplinary and there are three main disciplines, which are considered to be the essential foundations of the study (Alkema & Alley, 2006, p. 578). The disciplines include biology, sociology and psychology (Alkema & Alley, 2006, p. 578). The three disciplines allow aging to be considered from their own specific perspectives (Alkema & Alley, 2006, p. 578). The

According to the American Psychiatric Association “Studies show that seniors are at greater risk of some mental disorders and their complications than younger people, and many of these illnesses can be accurately diagnosed and treated.”(American Psychiatric Association, 2015, para. 1). Although many of the illnesses can be treated, many go undiagnosed due to the fact that many individuals do not understand mental illnesses and some seniors are reluctant to seek psychiatric care due to being ashamed or believing that their symptoms are a part of aging that everyone experiences. It is not just the seniors and their family or friends that fail to recognize symptoms of mental illness, even their doctors may mistake a symptom of mental illness for another illness or problem associated with older adults.

Social and health care is one of the most important areas of attention in the modern world today. As human beings, we all have been or will be in need of some sort of care in our lives. Old age is a particularly prevalent aspect of care that has received considerable attention in the literature and the press. Other examples of perpetual care needs include mental illness sufferers and those with chronic physical conditions. In the UK, the development of social and health care systems have been considered among the best in the world. Throughout the country, a large amount of systems and resources have been made available to take care of those in need of such services across the country. When considering the situation of care in the UK today, it is clear that much has been done to improve the situation of those in need today. At the same time, however, significant challenges are faced by those in care professions and in the care system. He involvement of professionals and citizens in the local context will have a significant effect on the way in which care and needs interact and are understood by care giving professionals.