WHY PRACTITIONERS NEED INFORMATION
ABOUT
WORKING
WITH
OLDER
ADULTS
American Psychological Association
Table of Contents
Why Practitioners Need Information
Our society is being reshaped by a rising demographic tide. Never have so many people lived into the later stages of their lives so healthy and so productively. In the United States, those born between 1946 and 1964--the "baby boomers"--are now growing older, and the first wave of this demographic phenomenon will reach age 65 in less than 15 years. At the crest of the aging of the baby boomers, 20 percent of the population of the United States will be 65 years old or older.
Who is old? Specific chronological markers for old age are arbitrary. The definition of "older adult" varies, depending on different perspectives and purposes. For example, gerontologists traditionally focus on persons aged 60 years and older. The federal government uses age 65 as a marker for full Social Security and Medicare benefits. Researchers identify subgroups of "older adults" as "younger old" (ages 65-75), "older-old" (ages 75-85), and "oldest old" (ages 85+). Age ranges vary across studies.
Subjectively, though, many older adults don't label themselves as "old," even at advanced ages. A survey of 2,500 seniors in a Los Angeles community revealed that as the seniors aged, they continued to grow, create, and engage in activities linked with education and travel. Some older adults are late-life career bloomers; others become active in their families or proactive in their communities, volunteer their time, or enter the political arena.
Advocates of older adults, including Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, feel that older adults as guardians of the world's vital memories should be appreciated and respected. Yet, they are a neglected resource. As the 1997 APA Convention keynote speaker, Wiesel said, "an old person represents wisdom and the promise of living a full life...the worst curse is to make him or her feel worthless."
Psychologists are in a unique position to address the psychologically related issues older adults experience and enhance their intellectual, social, and emotional well-being.
In the face of the demographic changes, many psychologists who have never received formal instruction to work with older adults will choose to provide services to this growing population. Many of the skills psychologists use to aid younger adults are, for the most part, applicable to older adults. But, assessment and treatment must be informed by the impressive amount of geropsychological data now available. Armed with facts about the myths and realities of aging, knowledgeable about the problems older adults face, cognizant of how to assess and treat older persons, and familiar with broader professional issues in aging, psychologists can maximize their efforts to assist this large and diverse segment of our society.
This publication delivers information to dispel myths about older adults and raise practitioners' awareness of facts about aging. The information is presented in seven sections. Section I, Demographic Realities of the Increasing Older Population, presents demographic information, such as gender and ethnicity, of the older population. Section II, Commonly Held Myths About Older Adults, lists facts as opposed to the myths. Section III, Realities of Aging for Older Americans, discusses productivity, economic well-being, social circumstances, and other general information about the older adult population. Section IV, Psychological Problems Some Older Adults Experience, is an alphabetical listing of common psychological problems and how they present in older adults. Section V, Assessment of Older Adults, gives information about basic principles and unique features for assessing older adults. Section VI, Appropriate Psychological Interventions for Older Adults, discusses unique problems of late life and the needed adaptation of psychological interventions. Section VII, Broad Professional Issues of Concern to Psychologists Working With Older Adults, presents practical issues in providing services, such as sources of reimbursement, ethical challenges, and unique realities of ethnic minority older adults. The publication concludes with a list of professional resources in geropsychology and a bibliography.
