Question

Athena, a 60-year-old woman, has noticed that her 85-year-old mother, Dorothy, is becoming increasingly isolated and unhappy. Dorothy does not want to spend time with her friends and every time Athena visits, Dorothy seems to want to cut the visit short. Athena knows that Dorothy has experienced changes in her vision over the last 10 years. Dorothy complains to Athena that her peripheral vision seems limited and she is unable see very well in the dark. Her doctor tells her that she is developing macular degeneration, which will further affect her vision. Also, she is having a hard time hearing what people are saying, especially at social gatherings or a restaurant. Athena understands that the senses change with age and she believes that many of the changes experienced by her mother are common for her age. But Athena is concerned about her mother’s psychological state. She doesn’t really understand why her social behavior and emotional well-being have changed. Describe how sensory related changes that occur with aging can lead to changes in quality of life, including social behavior and emotional well-being, as has happened with Dorothy. Be sure to describe the impact of both hearing loss and loss of vision.

Bullet point with brief explanation is fine. Describe in relation to late adulthood

Answer 1

• Changes in vision and hearing are particularly important because they can affect the person’s
  ability to function in the physical environment and may lead to isolation.
• Older people with vision loss may experience problems with mobility, poor orientation, and frightening visual impressions that resemble hallucinations. They often feel more vulnerable to danger and crime. They may reduce or eliminate such pastimes as reading or watching television.
• Hearing loss affects more older people than any other chronic condition.It can lead to withdrawal, isolation, and depression among older people. Even a slight loss can be emotionally upsetting for them, particularly if it interferes with understanding family and friends. Trying to understand conversation becomes frustrating and exhausting. They might withdraw from group situations, restrict their activities, and stay at home when it becomes difficult to listen and understand the conversation around them.
• Understanding the impact of hearing loss on quality of life is of great importance, as difficulties with communication affect interactions with other people.
• It has an affect on quality of life of elderly people in terms of,emotional reactions, such as loneliness, isolation, dependence, frustration, depression, anxiety, anger, embarrassment, frustration, and guilt;behavioral reactions, such as withdrawing and blaming; cognitive reactions, such as confusion, difficulty focusing, distracting thoughts, decreased self-esteem, and communication disorders.
• As a result of maladaptive communication strategies, elderly people with hearing loss start perceiving their social skills as poor, and thus, they may experience reduced self-esteem if a combination of hearing impairment and a poor coping strategy contributes to failure in their roles.