For my reflective essay I have chosen to look at the challenges of working with older people in a health and human service setting and in particular how this would challenge me to work as an effective practitioner in the discipline of nutrition.
In the last five years I have worked and spent time with older adults from different settings, some who are healthy and engaged in all areas of their lives, living independently and contributing to their community. I have also spent time with older adults who are determined to live out their years in their own home despite chronic pain, disease and social isolation and finally I have worked with older adults living in aged care facilities who have multiple conditions, prescribed multiple medications …show more content…
Lazareth and Folkman have developed a “model of stress” which describes that stress is caused by an imbalance between the demands placed upon us and our coping resources to meet these demands. *Reference. For older people it can often be the case that resources are harder to obtain in order to reduce stress in their lives and the additional challenges of ageing can impact this greatly. I have a good relationship with my 84 year old peruvian neighbour who I observe to cope less and less well with life stressors. In the time that I have been her neighbour and friend her health has deteriorated due to the general ageing process and consequently her coping resources have become harder to access. Her eye sight is failing, she is not able to drive; she frequently loses her balance and has had many falls in the garden, walking in the street and in her home. She lives with her husband who is frailer than she and her only daughter lives over an hour away by car. In times where she has suffered periods of illness she is not able to quickly seek medical attention, English is not her first language so she is not confident to talk …show more content…
Older adults may find it more challenging to embark upon behaviour change because they often have become more structured within their routines, having lived for longer and repeating the same behaviours. Neural pathways in the brain have become embedded and established which I am conscious of even in myself at the age of 40! Older adults may also be reluctant to take advice from a younger person and question their knowledge and experience in comparison to their own, they may simply forget what you have recommended or question their own self-efficacy to adhere to something
In the last five years I have worked and spent time with older adults from different settings, some who are healthy and engaged in all areas of their lives, living independently and contributing to their community. I have also spent time with older adults who are determined to live out their years in their own home despite chronic pain, disease and social isolation and finally I have worked with older adults living in aged care facilities who have multiple conditions, prescribed multiple medications …show more content…
Lazareth and Folkman have developed a “model of stress” which describes that stress is caused by an imbalance between the demands placed upon us and our coping resources to meet these demands. *Reference. For older people it can often be the case that resources are harder to obtain in order to reduce stress in their lives and the additional challenges of ageing can impact this greatly. I have a good relationship with my 84 year old peruvian neighbour who I observe to cope less and less well with life stressors. In the time that I have been her neighbour and friend her health has deteriorated due to the general ageing process and consequently her coping resources have become harder to access. Her eye sight is failing, she is not able to drive; she frequently loses her balance and has had many falls in the garden, walking in the street and in her home. She lives with her husband who is frailer than she and her only daughter lives over an hour away by car. In times where she has suffered periods of illness she is not able to quickly seek medical attention, English is not her first language so she is not confident to talk …show more content…
Older adults may find it more challenging to embark upon behaviour change because they often have become more structured within their routines, having lived for longer and repeating the same behaviours. Neural pathways in the brain have become embedded and established which I am conscious of even in myself at the age of 40! Older adults may also be reluctant to take advice from a younger person and question their knowledge and experience in comparison to their own, they may simply forget what you have recommended or question their own self-efficacy to adhere to something