Question

1. Identify at least three acute illnesses and three types of accidents, and for each, formulate preventative measures that can be taken to avoid them.

2. Discuss the many factors that affect the mental health of the elderly. Also include the mental disorders, treatment, and consequences of lack of treatment (i.e. suicide, physical illness).

Answer 1

• 2.Retiring from work can have a significant impact on a person's life and mental well-being.
• Financial stressors are another big factor contributing to a person's mental state after the person loses or quits the job,worry about paying bills becomes stressful on mental health.
• If he has experienced the death of a loved one, grieving this loss and adjusting to a reduced social network will be additional challenges. Loss of a spouse or partner in particular can be very hard.
• The neurobiological changes associated with getting older, prescribed medication for other conditions and genetic susceptibility (which increases with age) are also factors. There are a number of rarer mental health problems that affect older people too, including delirium, anxiety and late-onset schizophrenia.
• Depression describes a range of moods, from feeling a bit low in mood to feeling unable to cope with everyday life. It can affect anyone, of any culture, age or background but more older people are affected than any other age group. This is because older people are much more vulnerable to factors that lead to depression, such as:
• being widowed or divorced
• being retired/unemployed
• physical disability or illness
• loneliness and isolation.
• Dementia is a decline in mental ability which affects memory, thinking, problem-solving, concentration and perception. It occurs as a result of the death of brain cells or damage in parts of the brain that deal with our thought processes.
• People with dementia can become confused and some also become restless or display repetitive behaviour. They may also seem irritable, tearful or agitated which can be very distressing for both the person with dementia and their family and friends.
• A person suffering from memory amnesia lost parts or all of his memory. It’s not your plain everyday forgetfulness, instead complete eradication of any or all events and relations.
• There are many sleep-related disorders to which the elderly more prone than the younger adults. like insomnia, sleep apnea etc.
• Insomnia is very common in the senior members of our society. Some symptoms of Insomnia include taking more than 45 minutes to fall asleep, trouble in staying asleep, waking up early and night falls.
• The primary cause of insomnia is stress and anxiety, in the elderly, it is mostly caused by either that or irregular use of stimulants such as nicotine. It can also be caused due to polypharmacy, i.e. the increased use of medications.
• Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder which is primarily inclusive of irregular breathing due to an obstruction of the upper airway. The main causes are increased weight, age, enlarged tonsils and too much smoking etc.
• Alzheimer’s disease is a kind of dementia in which patients get stuck to a particular memory and they believe to be a part of it.A person suffering from Alzheimer’s disease tends to lose his ability to rationalize events and happening, forgets his own relations and the ability to communicate is fairly affected.
• Most mental illness treatment involves very specific medications like anti-depressants. In addition to medications, counseling is suggested. Seniors are often resistant to therapy due to generational social norms about not talking about your problems.
• But therapists who treat older adults are very competent in presenting counseling as a treatment that will make them feel better. Group therapy activities for adults is another treatment option.
• Psychotherapy (or “talk therapy”) can also be an effective treatment for depression. It helps by teaching new ways of thinking and behaving, and changing habits that may contribute to the depression.  Research shows that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), including a version called problem-solving therapy, may be an especially useful type of psychotherapy for treating older adults and improving their quality of life.
• The lack of treatment and care can worsen the symptoms in the elderly,since they are physically vulnerable as well.Because of lack of access in terms of transportation facilities,older adults might not seek treatment.Likewise, seniors on a fixed income may not be able to afford medications or treatments.
• Mental health resources in general are scarce, and resources that focus on mental health in the elderly are even more rare as well as social stigma associated with it makes elderly seek treatment less which can be harmful to their health.
• Not addressing the symptoms can lead to other physical health problems,including heart disease,lung disease,physical disabilities,or even suicide.
• Due to time limit,remaining can be asked as another question,they will be answered,thankyou for your cooperation
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