Older Adulthood: Psychosocial Issues and Interventions

The following global ideas guide the design and delivery of this course:

Attitudes, Disabling Conditions and Aging

• Attitudes toward the old in our society
• Multicultural perspectives on aging
• Losses and disabling conditions
• Coping with loss, the grieving process

Changing Social Structure

• Impact on families
• Environment and housing
• Social support
• Social role change
• Self determination

Loss of Cognitive Function

• Decision making and judgment
• Memory
• Spatial organization
• Thinking and reasoning
• Verbal communication
• Quality of life

Dementia

• Description and definition
• Risk factors and prevalence
• Types including:  Multi Infarct, Lewy Body, Picks Disease, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Huntington Disease and Parkinson Disease
• Treatment during stages of reverse development

Alzheimer’s Disease

• Description and definition
• Risk factors
• Symptoms, diagnosis
• Psychosocial stages of progression
• Changes in brain physiology
• Drug treatment
• Psychosocial approaches to interventions

Interventions: Recreation and Therapeutic Recreation

• Accommodations in communication
• Sensory stimulation / sensory kits
• Identity and personhood, life review, autobiography
• Reminiscing, story telling
• Pet therapy
• Special care programming and strategies
• Daily leisure activities:  plant care, walking, crafts, singing, word games, exercising, etc.
• Intergenerational experiences
• Strategies for redirecting difficult behaviour
• Strategies for motivating clients
• Environmental modifications

End of Life Issues and Processes

• Fear of dying
• Stages of dying
• Communication strategies, relationship building
• End of life choices
• Environmental and emotional support
• Stages of grieving