Elderly Support in US: Psychosocial Care in Centers - Essay Sample

Introduction

Psychosocial care includes the support that the older people need to be given by the paramedics to reduce the level of anxiety, fear, loneliness, neglect and depression. Psychosocial care is usually provided in centers for elderly people. The support is believed to make them feel comfortable to live in elderly centers where there are no close relatives and family members. In the US, the elderly aged 65 years and above living in elderly centers where they get the care and support that they need - reviewing the psychological care come with surprises facts regarding many myths that people say regarding the elderly.

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One of the myths regarding older adults is that they have similar characteristics in terms of the health and physical challenges that they face. The myth is incorrect because different elderly people face different challenges (Tan, 2017). The surprising fact is that there are elderly people that do not have health challenges at all. Different factors determine the health of a person; hence stereotyping should not happen. There is a myth that older people are in terms of their needs. Older adults living in care centers have different ages; hence, they face different kinds of challenges. People need to understand elderly people before making conclusions about them.

The other surprising factor that I discovered regarding older people is that there are some of them have the energy and skills to complete tasks that younger people cannot do (Tan, 2017). The psychosocial care is meant to give such people to utilize the skills and talents through activities that keep them busy. The fact the elderly people still have their talents surprises many people because they believe that older people do not have the energy to perform any activity that requires energy. People need to be given the opportunity to utilize their talents regardless of their age.

Originally I thought the myths were true until I met older adults that were contrary to the myths. The reality is reflected among the elderly when one interacts with them and finds that they have different personalities (Alzheimer, 2019) - stereotyping people because of their age because evidence has shown that people need to be handled depending on their abilities and attitude towards things. The reality regarding the elderly is based on evidence and reality. Evidence shows that psychological care makes the elderly feel appreciated and be able to continue living their lives normally. Myths are not based on any evidence.

In order to influence the attitudes of the public and caregivers towards the elderly, nurses need to change the perception of the people towards the elderly. The perceptions influence the attitudes of how people regard the elderly (Alzheimer, 2019). To change the perception and attitudes, nurses need to challenge their perceptions. Allowing the elderly living in care centres to participate in activities of the community will make the people realize that the elderly are normal people. The attitudes of the caregivers can be changed by allowing the elderly to take care of themselves where possible. Caregivers will understand that elderly people have different abilities.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many myths that people have regarding older people; people get surprised when they see them engaging in activities that they believe they cannot do - the perception of the public need to be changed because of the myths created over the years. Nurses have a role to play in changing the perceptions of caregivers towards the elderly.

References

Alzheimer, F. (2019). Psychological Care of the Elderly. Retrieved 17 October 2019, from https://geriatricnursing.org/psychological-care-of-the-elderly/

Tan, S. (2017). Myths of Aging. Retrieved 17 October 2019, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wise/201101/myths-aging