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Stress and the Elderly

Stress and the Elderly. Chapter 19. Chapter Overview. Understanding the elderly: some stats Adjustments in the later years Positive changes Exercise and the elderly Retirement Caregivers Death and dying Interventions. The Elderly: Some Stats.

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Stress and the Elderly

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  1. Stress and the Elderly Chapter 19

  2. Chapter Overview • Understanding the elderly: some stats • Adjustments in the later years • Positive changes • Exercise and the elderly • Retirement • Caregivers • Death and dying • Interventions

  3. The Elderly: Some Stats • People over 65 years of age in this country: • In 1900, 3 million people (3.9%) • In 1990, 31 million people (12.4%) • In 2002, 35 million people (12.3%) • Elderly are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population • Estimates are for 71.5 million over 65 years by year 2030

  4. Did You Know? • Less than 5% of the elderly live in nursing homes, and only 18% of those eighty-five years of age or older live in nursing homes

  5. Adjustments in the Later Years • Erikson (1963) identifies the “crisis” of late adulthood as acquiring a sense of integrity and fending off a sense of despair • Havighurst (1972) viewed life as a series of “developmental tasks” that one must master before moving forward

  6. Adjustments in the Later Years (cont.) • Havighurst’s six developmental tasks of the elderly: • Adjust to decreased strength and health • Adjust to retirement and decreased income • Adjust to death of spouse • Establish an affiliation with one’s age group • Meet social/civic obligations • Establish satisfactory living arrangements

  7. Positive Changes • Grandchildren • Sometimes valued for knowledge and wisdom • Free time to pursue other interests Stressors are adaptations that can have good results

  8. Exercise and the Elderly • Both male and female older adults can benefit from aerobic and strength training • Exercise helps maintain ability to live independently • Exercise reduces risk of dying from several diseases • Helps reduce blood pressure • Helps improve mood

  9. Retirement • Significant event of one’s life • Affects retirees’ families as well as themselves • Requires adjustment; must find other ways to support self-worth and status • May reduce income • Ageism becomes a reality

  10. Patterns of Adjustment • Some retirees adapt to retirement better than others • Four patterns of adjustment are evident: • Maintenance • Withdrawal • Changed activities • Changed needs

  11. Caregiver of Elderly • Provide care for limited seniors • May experience stress of feeling captive to the needs of the elderly • Signs are: • Denial • Anger • Social withdrawal • Anxiety • Depression • Exhaustion • Insomnia • Irritability • Lack of concentration • Health problems

  12. Death and Dying • Dying becomes a major stressor; some people don’t fear death as much as the process of dying • Kubler-Ross’s stages of dying and stress: • Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance • Table 19.1 reviews the stages of ordinary grief (White & Gathman, 1973) • Studies reveal higher mortality rates after a stressful event such as bereavement (Helsing et al., 1981)

  13. Interventions • Life-situation interventions • Perception interventions • Emotional arousal interventions • Physiological arousal interventions

  14. Stress and the Elderly

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