303 GERIA

• In the 1960s, sociologists, psychologists, and health care providers focused on meeting the needs of the typical adult aged between 20 and 65, the largest and most economically productive segment of the population
• Only a small percentage of the population lived beyond age 65, with disability, illness, and early death considered natural and unavoidable
• Research in the late 1960s indicated that adults of all ages are not the same
• Health care shifted from focusing on illness to wellness, with disability and disease no longer considered unavoidable parts of aging
• Increased medical knowledge, improved preventive health practices, and technological advances have helped more people live longer, healthier lives
• Older adults now constitute a significant group in society, leading to an increasing interest in the study of aging
• Geriatric:

  • Deals with the physiology of aging and the diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting older adults
  • Focuses on abnormal conditions and the medical treatment of these conditions
• Gerontology:

  • The study of all aspects of the aging process, including clinical, psychological, economic, and sociological problems of older adults
  • Affects nursing, health care, and all areas of society
• Gerontics, or Gerontic Nursing:

  • Coined in 1979 by Gunter and Estes
  • Involves nursing care and services provided to older adults
  • Encompasses a holistic view of aging with the goal of increasing health, providing comfort, and caring for older adult needs
• Ageism:

  • Disliking of aging and older adults based on the belief that aging makes people unattractive, unintelligent, and unproductive
  • Emotional prejudice or discrimination against people based solely on age
• Age discrimination:

  • Leads to actions where older adults are treated differently simply because of their age
  • Examples include refusing to hire older people, not approving them for home loans, and limiting health care they receive
  • Illegal, with some older adults responding with passive acceptance or advocating for their rights
• Advance Directive and POLST:

  • Advance directives are legally recognized documents specifying desired care and treatment when the individual cannot speak for themselves
  • POLST is a legal document with doctor's orders for life-sustaining treatment, including CPR, medical interventions, antibiotics, and artificial nutrition
• Self-neglect:

  • Failure to provide for oneself due to a lack of ability or awareness
  • More likely in older persons with few or no close family or friends
  • Difficult for concerned parties to intervene until the situation becomes critical or life-threatening
• Abuse and neglect:

  • Abuse can be physical, financial, psychological, or emotional
  • Neglect and abandonment also constitute forms of abuse
  • Intentional abuse likely in families with preexisting behavioral or social problems
  • Unintentional abuse occurs when the caregiver lacks necessary knowledge, stamina, or resources
• Support groups:

  • Available services to reduce abuse and meet the needs of older adults and caregivers
  • Caregivers form support groups to share experiences and frustrations, improving coping skills
  • Respite care allows the primary caregiver time away from caregiving demands, reducing stress and the risk for abuse