Older people in Ireland today face concerns that need to be dealt with. Some of these concerns include loneliness and poor health. It is our job as social care workers to assess their needs and do what we can to help them. In this essay I will outline my understanding of the needs of the elderly focusing on their physical, psychological and social needs. I will also reflect on my role as a social care worker in assisting the elderly to fulfill their needs. Finally I will reflect on the benefits of utilizing a questionnaire to assist me in assessing the overall wellbeing of the elderly. I would primarily like to talk about the physical needs of the elderly. Mobility is something that is very relevant to older people whether it’s getting around to run errands or even in their own home. They may find it difficult while showering, dressing and for taking certain medication such as shots of insulin or taking pills. Also older people may not have the ability to cook healthy meals every day for themselves. Elderly people who cannot prepare themselves healthy, nutritious meals may end up eating take outs regularly or not eating much therefore they may need someone to prepare meals for them whether it’s a family member, a carer or an organization such as meals on wheels. …show more content…
There are many psychological issues that older people can develop such as depression and dementia. Older people have a lot of issues that they may find difficult to deal with such as the decline in their health, losing their loved ones and losing their independence by going into a care home or having to depend fully on a family member or stranger. Geropsychology is the study of aging and the provision of services for the elderly. Psychologists can help older people and assist the families of older people to conquer problems they may face and also to help the older person try to achieve their greatest potential in later
Acknowledge and draw on parental knowledge and expertice in relation to their child. Focus on the children 's strengths as well as areas of additional need. Recognise the personal and emotional investment of parents and carers and be aware of their feelings. Ensure that parents and carers understand procedures, are aware of how to access support in preparing their contribution and are given documents to be discussed well before the meeting. Respect the validity of differing perspectives and seek constructive ways of reconciling different viewpoints.
I thought Meals on Wheels of America was just a simple organization covering the surrounding counties that provided a meal a day to senior citizens who had trouble providing a meal for themselves. However, I have learned that Meals on Wheels of America was established in 1954 and is the oldest and largest national organization representing community based senior nutrition programs and that it has 5,000 member programs, in which they provide over 1 million meals to seniors every day, which are served at senior centers as well as delivering meals directly to the homes of seniors whose mobility is limited. After reading chapter 6 and learning about outpatient and inpatient services, I have realized in my experience as a volunteer at a local
Chapter 13 was all about the elderly and their place in society. Gerontology is the study of elderly people and the hardships people are faced with once they start aging. More specifically Social gerontology is a subclass of Gerontology that specializes in in what changes a person makes in society once they start aging into the later years. Industrialization is believed to be one of the causes of elderly people losing superiority and power in society. What once was wisdom and knowledge that defined an elderly person is now something like old fashioned.
These facilities can be improved to reach higher expectations and tremendous rewards, but in order to do so, these events taking place in nursing homes and assisted living centers need to stop immediately. One way these facilities can improve is to require further education for the employees to complete so there will be an increased amount of suitable crowds hired to work. These facilities are already unbearably expensive so it would be an easy fix to use part of that money to raise the employee’s pay. Once there is a better group of employees with higher education and better pay, then there should be improvement in the care the residents receive. Superb quality nursing homes start with a superb quality administrator.
The result shows that 46 or 92% of the elderlies wished that they had more respect to themselves. Forty or 80% of them said that they sometimes pity themselves while 34 or 68% of them perceived that they have little or sometimes nothing to help their family and friends. In addition, 33 or 66% of elderlies said that they are not happy with their accomplishments in life while 32 or 64% of them perceived that they do not have capabilities and good qualities that they can be proud of and shared that they find it difficult to accept the changes happening in themselves at the present moment. Moreover, 28 or 56% of the elderlies shared that they often think and wish that they are in other people’s condition while half of them (50%) think and feel that they are useless. Further, despite of the adversities experienced in later life, 32 or 64% of elderlies didn’t think that they
About 65.7 million informal/ family caregivers provide care to someone who is ill, disabled or aged in the US. Out of that 52 million are family members which could decrease to 32 million be 2020. This may possibly happen because many people don’t comprehend that we should listen to our elders owing the fact that they are wiser. In the non-fiction short story “A Celebration of Grandfathers” Antonio understands how precious and valuable elders are, but also how wise they are and why we should care for them. Rudolfo Anaya uses Antonio’s good personality to show how much respect he has toward elders especially his grandfather.
Senioritis: What is it? In 1907 was the first time to be known for the use of the word Senioritis (“Senioritis,” 2018). The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines senioritis as lack of motivation to do school work as a senior in high school. Senioritis is further defined as not being on time to school, missing school completely, and drop in grades (“Senioritis,” 2018).
As we age and become older we change physically and mentally. Delirium, Depression, and Dementia are some of the most common psychological diagnoses in older people today. This will affect the health of the person and others will affect the quality of life that the person will have. Older adult tends to be more affected than younger adults.
The process of aging in not an unfamiliar topic to society and is an inevitable phase of life. Since 2011, the number of older individuals are increasing annually particularly those from the baby boomer generation. The life expectancy has been increasing with people living longer thanks to modern medicine. These occurrences are proof that civilization is growing exponentially, however the process of aging also means that the older individuals are facing dilemmas such as decreased physical functions, financial instability from retirement, and abuse. Even older adults who are independent may face some limitations.
Loneliness in Older Adults: An Embodied Experience by Judith M. Smith is a journal of Gerontological nursing that explores the bodily effects of loneliness on the older adult population. This journal presents the reader with research and recounts from individuals who experience their everyday loneliness that is expressed through their bodies in various ways. These embodying experiences hold back those individual’s from participating in activities they love or allowing them to enjoy their everyday lives. Gerontological nurses can alter these experiences using two specific interventions, music therapy and animal-assisted therapy, to actively reduce loneliness in the older adult population, ultimately creating a whole and healing environment at all levels. The first key point of the study was the discovery that many older adults experienced loneliness when they were unable to have purposeful interactions with their friends and family due to a limiting health conditions, such as hearing or vision impairment.
An elderly could live in a retirement center, nursing facility, or alone with relatives and be in good health or in bad health (Papalia, Feldman, & Martorell, 2012, pg. 541-542). Chronic illness and psychical change will be occurring during late adulthood yet, another focus will be psychological development, which is heavily influenced by the social environment in which one elderly lives and thus brings out the importance of finding good living arrangements. This is a huge factor in many other life stages as well. For instance, “the state of the job market may determine when offspring choose to leave home… [or] when we retire may depend on the provisions of our pension plan.
Elder abuse can be referred to as a single or repeated act or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an older person. Elderly people often get abuse by people who should be their protector and carer, in most circumstances many elderly adults are abused in their own homes, in relatives’ homes, and even in facilities responsible for their care. If you suspect that an elderly person is at risk from a neglectful or overwhelmed caregiver, or being preyed upon financially, it’s important to speak up. Learning about the warning signs of elder abuse, what the risk factors are, and how you can prevent and report the problem it’s very vital in protecting the elderly from abuse, some of these abuse are; • Not caring for someone property (neglect) • Pressuring
CHANGING CARE NEEDS THROUGH LIFE STAGES The aim of this assignment is to discuss in general the physical, intellectual, emotional and social development of a person in late adulthood. This will be completed by going through each heading and describing the different elements of each stage. Following that, I will compare *the norm* with a lady called Margaret.
Dementia Can you imagine what your life would be like if one of your loved ones could not recall memories you once shared or have the ability to fully take care of themselves? Their mind is no longer allowing them to properly function as they should, so they become forgetful. Dementia is a chronic irreversible condition which cannot be cured that changes the life and mind of the individual affected. The purpose of this paper is to inform you about the condition, how it affects the individual, and include patient centered care interventions for the patient. Dementia and its affects “Dementia is a broad term used to describe the progressive deterioration of cognitive functioning and global impairment of intellect with no change in consciousness”
Disabled people are people who have mental or physical limitation so they depend on someone to support them in doing their daily life needs and jobs. Although disabled people are a minority and they are normally ignored, they are still a part of the society. The statistics show that the proportion of disabled people in the world rose from 10 percent in the seventies of the last century to 15 percent so far. The number of handicapped exceeds a billion people all over the world, occupied about 15 percent of the world's population, as a result of an aging population and the increase in chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, blood and psychological diseases that are related with disabilities and impairments. Every five seconds someone