Role of therapist in serving the old population - Research Paper Example

? Aging Introduction The growth in the aging population in developed countries like United s of America has rendered due complexity to the treatment of complex diseases and chronic illnesses. The treatment of chronic illnesses in case of aging population demands the enhanced involvement of the human factor. The traditional systems of providing healthcare services to the aging population requires a sea change with the incorporation of a team of medical professionals operating in various medical fields. Further the modern health care system focused at elderly population must also encompass a larger network of specialized hospitals and nursing homes. Moreover more effective concepts promoting the development of rehabilitation centers along with home care systems pave the goal to health care success for the old people. This integrated model of modern healthcare is considered to be the most effective in providing proper medical services to the growing ageing population in United States. The aging people tend to become weak and frail to continue with their daily functions. Thus physicians largely relate moderate walking exercises and conducting of other activities where the elderly people can better communicate with themselves as potential instruments to help the elderly population regain confidence. Thus hospitals and nursing homes providing healthcare services to the old population must perform in an integrated network with also assisting collaboration from social and rehabilitation bodies. This will entail success to the treatment offered (Cassel, Fleece, & Reddy, 2009, pp. 47, 52-54). Role of Therapist in serving the old population Family Therapy The increase in the level of life expectancy in the United States is contributing a growth in the elderly population in United States. Further the mass of the elderly population in United States owes its origin to the baby boomer effect in the country. The elderly population in these countries largely feels unsecured about the changes happening in the society. They feel traumatized about the various events happening around their surroundings. Hence elderly people suffering from chronic diseases often feel themselves to have become burdens on their family members and hence suffer from acute depression. In addition to the above effects the elderly people tend to take a lot of medicines by themselves without adhering to prescriptions. This leads to increased complications. Thus therapists taking care of the old population must endeavor to understand the complex family relationships of the elderly people with other factors like loneliness for having lost their spouses. This reflects the pressing need for a proper psychotherapy treatment to be offered to the elderly patients to help revive their condition. However, research shows that only a small fraction of the old population has proper access to this type of treatment. The main causes attributed behind such are lack of proper awareness about the treatment type. Therapists’ failure to convince the old people to take resort to such treatments to cultivate their well-being has resulted into the development of negative mindsets about such treatment. Further the treatment type require high amount of expenditure often not met by the insurance companies thus culminating to their refraining to take resort to such treatments. The therapists providing health care services are also found to ignore the needs for providing psychotherapy to the elderly population. Therapists are often found stating that elderly people are stubborn by nature and hence do not feel the need to change. These medical professionals suffer from lack of training and lack of interest in their endeavor to serve the old population. The therapists tend to draw a stereotypic mindset that the elderly people are tough patients to be treated and hence must be left at their own plight. Thus healthy care bodies have come up in America, which is endeavoring to create mass awareness among the elderly population to take resort to the therapy for improving their lifestyles. These bodies and other social organizations are also working to train the therapists to take effective care of elderly patients and not to suffer from stereotypic myths. However the training course offered in the graduate programs for therapists pertaining to old age care are optional. Hence it still suffers from lack of intensity, which must be cared for (Yorgason & Miller, 2009, pp.29-30). Occupational Therapy The theme of occupational therapy is considered one of the most effective tools in the treatment of old age population in the world. It helps the old age population to recoup their lost strength to manage their own self-needs. Occupational therapists in this direction are required to understand the need of their clients and help them to achieve their self-goals. Understanding the need of the clients acts as a problem solving approach in helping the persons turn independent in attaining their life’s objectives. Further, the old people having regained their energy can begin associating themselves with other social groups, which help in the betterment of the life patterns. Occupational therapy by helping the old age people to largely associate themselves with the external environment help them to get rid of long term ailments which have put them in severe depression (Kendig, 2010, p.1). The occupational and other old age therapists often feel disinclined to serving their old clients. These groups of therapists in the previous days were not allowed to get direct access to hospitals nor could they lead proper glamorous lives as lead by other medical professionals. Further these therapists felt that working for the old people meant loss of prestige for which they simply turned their faces to serve the old people in their distressful conditions (McIntyre & Atwal, 2005, p.1). Therapists and Old People Relationship with the Client The therapists feel a sense of conflict while working with old age people. This sense of conflict arises for a feeling of anxiety, which turns up for inadequacy of training rendered to treat the old age people and also in misunderstanding the old age people. The therapist must view the old patient not only as a client but also as a person who is in need of proper care and comfort. Moreover the therapist should endeavor to understand the personality traits of the individual and must also try to apprehend the need and aspirations of such persons in relation to the external society. The therapists in addition to getting access to proper training in shaping the old age population must endeavor to spend a lot of time with the old age patients in order to understand their nature. The old age people often become largely associated with their therapists who start act as parents or guardians to them. Thus at times when their clients get depressed due to the behavior of their loved ones the therapists react in a much anxious manner reflecting their personal association with the old people (Knight, 2004, pp.81-83). Management of improved relationship with the clients can be conducted through the use of touch therapy. The therapists need to generate a caring touch to help the patients feel better in spite of the pain and stress. In fact the old age people suffering from painful diseases on being given a touch therapy by the therapist start feeling less anxious of the pain and suffering and recuperate in a faster manner. Thus therapists are widely encouraged to care for the old suffering population by rendering a caring touch (Schofield, 2007, p.171). Basic implications for successful therapy The therapist providing the care to the old people require to perform in a much focused manner in helping their clients to perform their daily activities. The old age patients who have become totally physically and mentally dependent on someone require the therapists to perform in a holistic manner while understanding their needs and requirements. The therapists thus require forming a strong emotional bond with the older people in order to provide them with the needed support. Therapists thus require to strongly empathizing their client’s conditions and work accordingly creating a safeguarded environment. The therapists sometimes or the other take resort to rendering threats or punishing the old people for the wrongful activities committed by them unconsciously. They feel that subjecting their clients to negative behavioral traits would help reduce the propensity of such mistakes. However, the therapist must endeavor to understand that taking resort to beatings or punishing the poor old person does not constitute o satisfy the goal of a proper therapy. It only creates a sense of fear in the minds of the old persons who suffering from the feeling of increased loneliness and torture gets further depressed (Norman & Redfern, 1997, p.318). Therapists and Resources for treating Old Age Patients The therapists taking care of the occupational therapy of the old patients must be well alert of the specific resources associated with the treatment of such patients. The occupational therapists must largely associate themselves with home care organizations and other regional and local bodies, which take care of such individuals. Further the therapists taking care of old age persons must also be well aware of information bodies which can help in generating useful information regarding the availability of home care units which can help in the wellness of such individuals. The therapist must also have the knowledge of specific websites from which such information can easily be sought after. The therapists working in close connection with old age patients and working in an integrated environment with different hospitals and nursing homes must endeavor to help their clients with proper medicines and needed care. In absence of close monitoring the needed resources can move elsewhere leaving the old patients feel the dearth for it (Dimond, 2010, pp.512, 514). Needs of the Aging Population The aging population around the world suffers from a sense of insecurity pertaining to various paradigms. The old age people suffer from degrading health conditions for which they require the support of other persons to help them carry on their required activities. Old age people become frail and weak who are to be rendered proper medical support by therapists to regain their mental and physical strength to carry on required functions. The old people require periodic checkups, which helps them to maintain proper health. Sometimes affected by chronic illness the old age people become totally immobile. Thus they require a full time nurse who would take care of daily activities. Old persons also require the need to be treated as social elements. Due to old age they fail to mingle easily with others outside, for which they desire to be surrounded by people who can reduce the sense of their loneliness. Thus development of bodies like home care in developed countries help in assisting these old people in providing social assistance to help them to come out of their depressed mental setup. Specialized healthcare bodies are increasingly working to train the old patients working independently to self monitor their health conditions through automated systems connected with hospital networks (Bos, 2008, p.94). Multicultural Considerations United States of America is increasingly being filled up with large group of immigrants coming from diverse cultural groups. These people coming from diverse societies share different beliefs about the health care systems. Thus they help in making the healthcare dimensions more complex in order to meet the variegated needs. Further people belonging to different cultures and societies also become potential bearer of certain diseases, which can disturb a healthy society. These people also reflect different reactive patterns to the treatment offered (Smeltzer, Bare, Hinkle & Cheever, 2009, p.7). Results of Interviews with Old People Interviews were conducted upon people who had been transferred to old care homes to understand their feelings and experiences. The responses received were of mixed nature for some felt uncomfortable in the new environments while for others it was a freedom from their uncertain and anxious life styles. Interviews conducted also showed that these old people felt freedom from being a burden on their children’s shoulders. They desired to life an independent tension free life where they can associate with others easily. (Warnes, Warren & Nolan, 2000, p.175) Conclusion Old age is a growing problem for both the developed and developing economies. Moreover in cases where the old people start suffering from problems like chronic illnesses the condition becomes far more complex and risky. Thus the pattern of healthcare offered to these patients also counter complexity in comparison to those offered to young age patients. The health care services need to operate in an integrated environment of hospitals, nursing homes and other care groups to become holistic and effective in nature. Further these old age patients need to be granted the freedom where they can easily associate with other persons to reduce the feelings of loneliness, anxiety and depression. References 1. Bos, L. (2008), Medical and Care Compunetics 5, IOS Press. 2. Cassel, C., Fleece, M. & S. Reddy (2009), “Aging: Adding complexity, requiring skills”, Information Knowledge Systems Management, 8, pp. 47-69. 3. Dimond, B. (2010), Legal Aspects of Occupational Therapy, John Wiley and Sons 4. Kendig, H. (2010), “Occupational therapy, a central role in the future health and wellbeing of an ageing Australia”, Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 57,p.1 5. Knight, B. (2004), Psychotherapy with older adults, SAGE 6. McIntyre, A. & A. Atwal (2005), Occupational Therapy and Older People, Wiley-Blackwell 7. Norman, I. & S. Redfern (1997), Mental health care for elderly people, Elsevier Health Sciences 8. Schofield, P. (2007), The management of pain in older people, John Wiley and Sons 9. Smeltzer, S., Bare, B., Hinkle, J. & K. Cheever (2009), Brunner and Suddarth's textbook of medical-surgical nursing, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 10. Warnes, A., Warren, L. & M. Nolan (2000), Care services for later life: transformations and critiques, Jessica Kingsley Publishers 11. Yorgason, J. & R. Miller (2009), “Aging and Family Therapy: Exploring The Training and Knowledge of Family Therapists”, The American Journal of Family Therapy, 37, pp.28-47. Read More