Sexual Psychology – Critical Reflection – Due FRI 10/29
( C reative, relevant, professional title. ) ( Selected quote (s) anchor focus of the paper, expressing key lesson learned. Properly cited. )
Elderly: Lest They Not Be Forgotten
“Older adults in the United States must deal with a wide variety of complex issues in their transition from midlife to senior citizen status, including changes in physical abilities, social roles, relationships, and even residential relocation” (Gladding, 2009, p.106).
( Added return : I nsert blank line before staring body of the paper . )“Therefore counselor attention needs to focus on this group, especially with the baby boomer generation (76 million or 40% of the U.S. adult population) entering this age generation” (Gladding, 2009, p.105).
The elderly have always held a special place in my thoughts and my heart. As society has evolved to increase our lifespan, it is unfortunate that it is the elderly that suffer the consequences of it, particularly the baby boomers of the 20th century. We have forgotten it is our elders who have fought for our freedom and allowed their following generations to have what we hold so dear to our hearts. Without them our world would be very different.
Today, the average lifespan in the United States is approximately 80 years old (Gladding, 2009). There are many reasons that allowed for the postponement of death. Gladding (2009) states that “high birthrate during the 20th century, immigration policies that favored the admittance of persons who are now growing older, improved health care, better nutrition, and the reduction in infectious diseases” (p.105). With the older population increasing in age, especially the baby boomers, it is important that we as a society care, love and continue to treat the elderly with respect, honoring, not forgetting them. Humans are not a constant form and with change in society human needs and wants change.
As we grow older the adaptation is particularly harder for the elderly, especially when there is no family or support system in place. The elderly face several negative problems such as “loneliness, physical illness, retirement, idleness, bereavement, and abuse” (Gladding, 2009, p.106). The statistics speak for themselves about how the adaptation is hard for many elderly people. Gladding (2009) states that 30 % of the elderly that suffer from the above conditions are residing in mental hospitals. Furthermore, the suicide rate of individuals over 60 years old is 25% (Gladding, 2009). The most common forms of maltreatment in the elderly population are “physical abuse, psychological abuse, financial exploitation, and violation of rights, including personal liberty, free speech and privacy” (Gladding, 2009, p.106). It is so important that the elderly who experience these types of abuse and who cannot adapt to their situations seek counseling.
It is also important that therapists and counselors are properly trained to understanding the diverse issues with the elderly population. Some reasons mental health professionals don’t give the appropriate level of care to the elderly population include those who feel the elderly cannot contribute to society, those who have personal fear of aging and misdiagnosis of conditions (Gladding, 2009). In order to effectively help the elderly cope with their problems, mental health professionals must conduct themselves with basic counseling skills such as “reflecting feelings, paraphrasing content, identifying patterns, asking open-ended questions, validating feelings and thoughts, and gently confronting inconsistencies, older adults feel free to explore difficulties or adjustment issues and are likely to respond appropriately”(Gladding, 2009, p.107).
It is not just the responsibility of mental health professionals to be there for the elderly, it is our duty as human beings to be there for one another. It saddens me that so many of us wear blinders and walk through life just caring about ourselves. What is going to happen to you when you are old? We need to show empathy, understanding, love, respect and gratitude to our living history generation.
( Discussion question, presented following added spacing. )My 13-year-old daughter, who volunteers in a nursing home, has begun to see the neglect the elderly face. Especially the neglect they face from their own families. She has come to me with tears asking me questions like how can people forget about their mothers and fathers? Why doesn’t the nursing home offer help to the people in here? I have seen many cases where sons and daughters of aging parents place their parents in a home and forget about them. There are others who find it difficult to distribute time between taking care of aging parents and dealing with their own family, especially when young children are involved. I believe this is a critical juncture we all need to face together.
( APA style reference. )I leave you with one question to think about, “How do you want to be treated when you are considered elderly?”
Gladding, S. T. (2009). Counseling: A comprehensive profession. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.