Medical Psychology in Geriatrics

University:
Stanford University
Course:
MED 101 | Human Anatomy
Academic year:

2024
Views:

77

Pages:

2
Author:

larbi43100

Medical psychology in geriatrics Introduction • Old age (or 3eage), last stage of life, experiences an existential crisis which weakens the individual through the progressive reduction of his performance and his cognitive, psychological and social functions • Aging follows a different pace from one individual to another, making it difficult to define old age. • The WHO has retained the limit of 65 years and over to define elderly people Definitions • Geriatrics:medical discipline that cares for sick elderly people • Gerontology:science which studies aging in all its aspects: biomedical, socio-economic, etc. • Ageism:negative discrimination against the elderly and/or old age Repercussions of old age • Old age is a time of loss: ➢ Loss of friends and loved ones (widowhood, departure of children, etc.) ➢ Loss of work, money and social relationships ➢ Loss of many physical and mental abilities ➢ Loss of physical beauty and fertility • Aware of his losses and the little time he has left to live, the elderly person will adopt a new socioeconomic lifestyle and his personality will be characterized by: ➢ Feeling of vulnerability:impatience and hypersensitivity ➢ Egocentrism:the subject will focus on himself and his interests ➢ Divestment of the future:the elderly person will concentrate on the present or the past which they embellish to enhance the present ➢ Passivity and dependence on others ➢ Psychological regression:with hypochondriacal complaints, hypersensitivity to flattery, permanent search for attention and affectivity ➢ Increased interest in money:with taste for possession and difficulty in sharing ➢ Underestimation of the self:with, sometimes, depressive states • On the intellectual level:decreased short-term memory, more difficult to sustain attention, as well as a decrease in imagination and intellectual curiosity. These deficiencies are compensated for by increased care and precision in completing tasks • On the emotional level:reduction in emotional control and a blunting of affectivity with insensitivity to the outside world, reflecting narcissistic withdrawal • On the social plan:retirement and dependence on those around you are often experienced as an attack on self-esteem.The fear of death, the failure of the body of the elderly subject as well as the loss of loved ones remind him of his own end, which amplifies the fear with each somatic problem, even minor, which will be experienced as dangerous and potentially fatal.