Geriatric Psychology

G. n., Being interdisciplinary in origin and development, is the science of the behavior of people of old age. Thanks to her medical, neurological, psychiatric and physiologist. accents, it is associated with a behavioral, biologist. and soc. sciences. The importance of cross-cultural and transnational research. in G. n. increasingly recognized by experts.
G. p. Is a relatively new area of ​​interest; experiment researches aging has been the focus of attention only in the last 50 years. G. p. Should deal with such problems as fear of loneliness in old age, feelings of old people about possible diseases or placement in a shelter, concern about the financial situation or loss of emotional balance due to the fact that one generation encroaches on the life of another. G. n. Must proceed from the fact that aging is not synonymous with illness, that old age is not a state of ill health, and that bedridden, prolonged illness is not the inevitable side of impending old age. However, it should contribute to the understanding of intellectual and emotional problems of old age, since the accumulated physical. diseases and defects, together with the general deterioration of bodily functions, further aggravate any emotional trauma, which a person could have had before.
The "graying" of America is a serious demographic problem. According to preliminary forecasts, the total number of older Americans will increase by 2030 from about 30 to 55 million people. The age group of 75 years and older is the fastest growing segment of the population.
Mental illness is more common among the elderly than among young adults. According to experts, from 15 to 25% of older people have significant mental problems. health The number of psychoses increases after 65 and, even more, after 75 years. 25% of all recorded suicides are committed in the US by older people. Chronic health problems, which torment 86% of the old people, and financial difficulties, many of them face with them, certainly contribute to increased stress. Stresses affecting the mental. health of older people are multiple and common.
The main geriatric problem psikhol. The property concerns older people living in the same family with their children, grandchildren and other relatives. Although there was a certain decrease in both the absolute and relative number of multi-generational families, it turned out to be more significant for the “pre-age” (from 65 to 74 years old) than for the “senile” (from 75 years old and older) age, with only a small difference in quantitative ratio of “single” men and “single” women of old age who live in multi-generation families. Despite this decline, a multi-generation family remains viable, currently living in such families for approx. 2 million elderly people.