Stereotypes about the elderly
There are various stereotypes of the elderly in the United States. According to Martyn (2000), this has been due to several fallacies that the society has towards the aging. One of the most common stereotypes towards the elderly has been that they are weakling people who must depend on other members of the society to survive. For this reason, they are considered as a burden to the working class. This myth is very misleading because some of the richest people in this country are the elderly population. There is another stereotype against the aging that they fall sick quite often, causing a burden on the medical facilities in this country. Some scholars have even suggested that there should be special health facilities for the aging, a sign that they often fall ill. This is another fallacy because the elderly people who stay active and healthy rarely need medical attention. Initially, I believed that the accusations leveled against the elderly were true. After conducting extensive research on this issue, I realized that they hold no truth. This has made me a fight these fallacies and defend the elderly who have every right to be part of this nation.
Physical and cognitive issues involved in aging
Recent researches have associated aging with several cognitive and physical issues that affect their normal lifestyle. It is a fact that the elderly are less active as compared to the younger population. The fact that they are less active brings in several health complications physically and psychologically. This is because mental health depends on the ability of the patient to remain active. This brings several health problems to the elderly if they fail to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. Diabetes is one of the health complications that have been associated with the aging population. Schirm (2008) says, “In addition to the traditional vascular complications, diabetes has been associated with excess risk for cognitive and physical decline, falls, fractures, and depression.” This scholar says that elderly people have a problem in commanding their body. They prefer activities that do not strain their muscles. This results in slow muscle stimulation and this lowers the mental capacity and the rate of thinking. This explains why it always takes time for the elderly to process a piece of information and give the necessary response. Limited physical activity also hurts the ability of the elderly to withstand a physical strain. This means that when their borne is subjected to serious physical strain, they can easily break, and it may not be easy to treat such borne.
Mental health treatment issues involved in working with the aging client
When attending to an elderly patient, it is important to understand some of the mental health issues involved. For instance, some of the very old people may not be able to reason as an adult, especially when the patient has a mental problem. However, such a patient would want to be treated with respect given his or her age. Health practitioners should always ensure that such patients are treated with care and respect. It is also important to bear with their slow nature of processing information when offering medical attention.
References
Martyn, J. (2000). Managing an elderly patient with a fractured femur: Evidence based case report. BMJ, 320(1), 102-103.
Schirm, W. (2008). Managing aggressive elderly in long-term care. J Gerontol Nursing, 15(2), 28-33.