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Lecture: Topic and Outline Assignment
PSYC775
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Topic Choice
The topic that has been selected for the lecture is ‘Counselling of elderly
individuals.’
Lecture Outline
The main points that will be covered have been highlighted in this section.
Introduction
The lecture will start with a brief introduction to elderly individuals. The elderly
individuals who are of the age of 60 years and above. The elderly individuals are basically
retired persons who spend more time at home and socialize less in comparison to others.
The majority of elderly individuals have some kind of medical issue that directly impacts
their quality of life. In this topic, the learners will get to know about the physical,
emotional, as well as mental aspects of elderly individuals. It will form the foundation and
help in providing better counseling to elderly individuals.
Common Issues in the Lives of the Elderly Individuals b
The second topic that will be covered in the lecture is an insight into the common
issues or problems that elderly individuals deal with. Depression is one of the common
problems that is experienced by elderly individuals (Hayes, 2005). There are a number of
reasons for the depression symptoms among the people of this age group. One of the main
reasons is that most elderly individuals go through the grief of losing their near ones. It may
include losing their partner, a family member, or close friends. The inability to lead an
independent life also is a major cause that gives rise to depression among elderly
individuals. Aging increases the reliance of individuals on other people or devices such as
walkers. Such individuals require support and assistance in order to complete their daily
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activities. This often leads to depression in elderly individuals. Retirement from their
occupation is another potential cause of depression among elderly individuals.
Another significant problem that elderly individuals experience is the number of
medical issues they have to deal with. With aging, there is a high chance that the
individuals will get diagnosed with various issues such as hearing problems, vision
problems, etc. Heart diseases, arthritis, and hypertension are common among elderly
individuals. They may even suffer from a number of mental illnesses. Other common health
issues they may experience include loss of appetite, insomnia, anxiety, etc.
An idea of all the possible problems that the elderly individuals might be going
through allows the learners to understand the importance and need for counseling for
elderly individuals.
Need for Counselling for the Elderly Individuals
Handling medical issues and depression often seems to be challenging for elderly
individuals. Moreover, their mobility issues limit them from interacting and socializing with
others. It eventually gives rise to suicidal tendencies among elderly people. They experience
loneliness and even resort to substance abuse. Therefore, counseling becomes important for
elderly individuals in order to enable them to deal with the situations better. Counseling can
help individuals plan their retirement lives better. Counseling can also help in improving
the quality of life of elderly individuals and enable them to lead more satisfying life.
Role of the Counsellors
The counselors work with elderly individuals with a number of objectives. They
play an important role in enhancing the quality of life of elderly individuals. One of the
important roles of the counselor is to provide information relating to health, finance, as well
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as medications. The counselors will also have to work through the different personal
problems of the elderly individuals. Along with elderly individuals, a counselor has to
develop strategies that can solve their problems. The counselors can also help elderly
individuals in setting new goals that can help them in leading a better life.
Counseling Approaches for Elderly Individuals
An important topic of the lecture is the different counseling approaches that can be
used while counseling elderly individuals. One of the approaches is the use of stimulated
recall techniques. This technique allows individuals to recall their past experiences. The
momentary reactions of the elderly individuals relating to past experiences can help the
counselors find effective ways to enhance the quality of life of the individuals (Birch,
2003). Other approaches that can be used for counseling the elderly individuals are
cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, occupational therapy, and reminiscence
therapy.
Active Learning
In order to ensure that the students are able to understand the lecture, an active learning
activity will be conducted. The activity will be a role play. The activity will be performed
by the learners in pairs. The steps involved in the activity are:
• The learners will form pairs.
• One of the group members will take up the role of a counselor, and the other will be
the elderly individual.
• A situation will be provided, and the learners will be asked to act in the scenario.
• The learnings will be discussed. b
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The same steps will be repeated with each of the pairs in the classroom. The activity
will help in providing the learners with more clarity about counseling elderly adults.
References
Birch, S. (2003). Handbook of Counselling Psychology edited by Ray Woolfe and Windy
Dryden. Therapeutic Communities-London-Association Of Therapeutic Communiities,
24(4), 327-328.
Hayes, N. (2005). Counselling Older People: A Systematic Review. Nursing Older People,
17(4), 35-36.
