Elder Maltreatment Prevention and Retirement Psychology
Elder Maltreatment and Caregiver Stress
Maltreatment, stress, and a sense of burden are strong predictors of elder abuse by caregivers. The reasons why carers abuse have been linked to factors such as social isolation, failing health, and poor interpersonal relationships.
Referrals for Elderly at Risk of Maltreatment
The referrals for the elderly at risk of or who have endured maltreatment include:
- They must keep in touch with old friends and neighbors even during a change of address.
- They must participate in community activities, if possible.
- We must promote self-care (autocura).
- They must be kept informed.
- Legal advice must be sought to prevent people from living with violent individuals or drug users.
Signs of Suspected Abuse
The following signs of suspicion are considered:
- Interruption of treatment (with risk to their health).
- Evidence of malnutrition or dehydration.
- Physical injury (scratches, burns).
- Do not allow the elderly and nursing professionals to remain alone.
The Impact of Retirement
Retirement is currently experienced as a loss:
- Loss of income: The pension is calculated on basic salary and leaves out many charging accessories.
- Loss of status: The position of a person is often judged by their work.
- Loss of colleagues: Retirement can match the death of relatives and friends.
- Loss of an orderly and useful employment.
Stages of Retirement
Retirement has two distinct stages.
Before Retirement
This is the period prior to the decision to retire, which may be voluntary or imposed. Factors acting on this stage include:
- Institutional factors: The economic situation, the legislation of the time, the workplace that the employee occupies, and social attitudes.
- Personal factors: Health status, motivation for other activities, income, family attitudes, and satisfaction at work.
During Retirement
1st Stage: Usually highly motivated by having free time. There are two different attitudes: take the time off or take the time to relax.
2nd Stage: This is stabilization; in many cases, there is a satisfactory routine of research activity. At this time, disillusionment may appear regarding the design of activities.
Retirement and Gender Dynamics
The increasing retirement of women affects the couple’s spare time, as they have more time to be together. In cases where the woman was a housewife, the husband’s retirement forces them to share time and space at home, thereby creating conflict in some cases.
Psychosocial Aspects of Aging
The way the individual faces aging depends on the following factors: their origin, the culture they belong to, and the status they have had and currently have. The popular expression says, “We grow old as we have lived.”
Stages and Personalities in Aging
The regressiveness sometimes presented by the elderly may be due to the decrease in their resilience against unknown situations. The elderly want a stable and known environment to provide security. Depending on how the individual confronts the stage of aging, we can classify them as:
- Mature: More integrated with the person who gives life.
- Passive: A person with a tendency toward inactivity, voluntarily maladapted.
- Defensive: A hyperactive person who argues that if they are no longer active, they will die.
- Enraged: Solely blames others for their frustrations and limitations, combating manifestations of aging.
- Self-aggressive: Isolated, depressed, and with low self-esteem.
Behavioral Changes During Aging
Common behavioral changes include:
- Contradictory behavior and emotional lability.
- Insistence and emitting continuous complaints.
- Untimeliness in comments and toxicophilia conduct.
- Reduction of some desires and a demand for care.
- A tendency to save things.
Positive Traits in the Elderly
The features that stand out as positive in the collective are greater caution, reflection, serenity, and creativity. Creativity and imaginative ability are preserved; in many cases, there are individual flowering periods. For many, it is the time of establishment with regard to beliefs and knowledge.