how are the elderly helped to cope with the aging process in general and with the traumas of long-term illness

2 Comments

1. gilbert_guide says:

   October 24, 2009 at 12:00 am

   My first suggestion is to become educated on the facts of your illness. Is it a genetic disorder, a degenerative disease or perhaps even a debilitating mental illness? Understanding your affliction and its affects on your mind and body can help you feel more in control and aware of the possible symptoms you’ll experience. Some illnesses are widely misunderstood, which means your situation may not be as dire as you think. Support groups work wonders in helping people feel less alone in their struggles. Individual therapy is also a good idea, as it helps in working through the intense emotions that accompany any serious illness. I also recommend any type of mind-body connecting activities, such as yoga, tai chi or religious observance. Many people shy away from both spirituality and religion until they feel some type of incapacitating fear for their life. While therapists, group leaders and peers can help you come to terms with your feelings, you are ultimately the designer of your thoughts. Self improvement gurus have asserted that changing your life is as simple as changing your mind. Getting in touch with who you are through spiritual practices can strongly influence your ability to digest your reality and face seemingly insurmountable circumstances.

   If you are referring to fatal illnesses, hospice, or end of life care may be the answer. Hospice services are intended to help people in the final stages of life manage their symptoms and live out their days alert, with minimal pain and dignity. Hospice care treats the person, not the disease and focuses on enhancing the quality of the time someone has remaining. Services are generally available around the clock, in both home and institutional settings, and involve several elements. An interdisciplinary team of care providers, including doctors, nurses, social workers, counselors, home health aides, therapists, clergy and trained volunteers work together to help relieve symptoms and offer support. Hospice services can also offer a break to family caregivers, should they need a break from the intensity of care giving. When the afflicted person’s time has come, hospice providers offer bereavement care for the loved ones left behind.

   In regards to coping with aging in general, I recommend maintaining a sense of who you are beyond the perceived limitations of age. If you are someone who’s lived an active lifestyle, amend but continue that lifestyle as you age. This will also minimize physical deterioration and help you feel strong and alive. If you enjoyed your work prior to retirement, perhaps you might want to continue those efforts through volunteer work. Just because you no longer work from nine to five, that doesn’t imply you don’t have a wealth of knowledge and experience to share. Our culture doesn’t necessarily respect and extol the wisdom associated with age, at least not as represented through the mass media, but the fact remains you have more to offer than most can understand. Keep giving of your mind, body and soul well into your nineties, and the side effects of aging will seem less like a burden and more like a gift.

   Wishing you the best in sickness and in health-
   Lori from Gilbert Guide
   http://www.GilbertGuide.com
2. B T says:

   October 24, 2009 at 12:00 am

   They need to keep active (including exercise), eat well and have hobbies to keep their mind going.

   You find most people start to get more illness when they retire. Of course they are older but also when people retire they tend to be less active and sociable.