Old age and retirement are mostly perceived as the ‘golden period’ of life where the elderly can lead a peaceful and stress-free existence according to their preferences and likes. However, transitioning to this phase may not be as easy as it seems. That is so because most older adults face physical and mental changes that impact their day-to-day living and social aspects. Apart from physical assistance, they need extra support to deal with stress, anxiety, depression and other emotional issues in this new chapter of life.
Interestingly, the senior population of India alone is expected to increase to nearly twenty percent by the year 2050. Hence, there is a growing demand here for delivering better services and care to this segment of people with our country becoming one of the fastest-growing economies of the world. Apart from medical support and nursing care, geriatric counselling forthe mental health of elders is gaining momentum by leaps and bounds for it helps them to adjust better to retired life and focus on improving health and living standards by making smoother transitions.
Elders also have another unique preference. They wish to age gracefully in the comfort and solace of their homes. Today, thanks to the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, home care services are gaining significant prominence to meet this challenge and holistically address all aspects of elderly care. Athulya Senior Care, a pioneer in this arena, offers a host of senior-friendly services including assisted living and transitional care to enrich the lives of older adults so that they can live with good health and dignity
In a specific endeavour to support senior mental well-being, our dedicated portfolio called Athulya Home Care, also provides nursing care, doctor consultations, therapy support and senior counselling at home. Let us now explore the need for geriatric counselling, its types, advantages and some options for reliable medical counselling services in Coimbatore.
Why Geriatric Medical Counselling for Elders?
The vital role played by geriatric medical counselling in
enhancing the quality of elders cannot be undermined. It equips them to better
cope with the changes in the physical and mental condition of the body due to
aging in the following ways-
• Encourage
them to be physically fit, active and alert
• Confront
pessimistic thoughts
• Overcome
grief with the loss of loved ones, especially, their life partner
• Lower
feelings of loneliness and social isolation
• Deal
with deteriorating health conditions like diminishing vision, decreased
mobility and chronic health problems
• Boost
self-morale and confidence
• Take up
meaningful engagements like exercise and yoga, hobbies and spiritual activities
• Postpone
the onset and progress of mental disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s
disease
• Build
better relationships with family members, friends and caregivers
• Avoid unhealthy habits like lethargy, overeating, medication overdose, drug abuse, smoking and alcohol consumption
Types of Geriatric Counselling
• Psychological
counselling-Here the focus is on creating awareness in elders about the mental
health issues like sleep loss, depression or dementia they are suffering from
and supporting them with a roadmap to manage it effectively.
• Supportive
counselling-This type of counselling helps in better handling physical symptoms
like acute pain and weakness, a decline in functional aspects like mobility or
loss of memory and emotional problems like fear, anxiety, depression and
spiritual apprehensions.
• Cognitive Behaviour therapy-The goal of this intervention is to help elders confront negative thoughts and disruptive behaviour like verbal conflicts and aggression outbursts and control unhelpful thoughts. It thus provides stress management techniques so that adults can better cope with change. This therapy also reduces social isolation and improves behaviour by modifying cognitive skills.
Advantages of Geriatric Counselling
Providing support by offering psychological counselling for
seniors has several advantages as listed below-
• Helps elders
to better accept the difficulties they are facing in old age be it physical
signs like pain and unexplained exhaustion or emotional symptoms like undue
fears, mental conflicts and anger
• Supports
better mental health and emotional stability without the use of medication
• Enhances
the moods and establishes a meaningful and optimistic outlook toward life
• Assists
in making easier adaptations and adjustments to body conditions, surrounding
environment and caregivers
• Boosts
self-confidence and self-worth by reducing emotional distress and fostering
mental peace by addressing spiritual concerns
• Fosters
socialization by removing inferiority complex in elders and encouraging them to
participate in group events and activities through social skills training
• Suggests
personalised strategies to counteract mental decline, lowered cognition, memory
loss and reduced concentration levels
• Prevents
dangerous consequences like suicidal attempts, violence and self-inflicted
injury by proactively dealing with symptoms like depression, anxiety,
aggression and stress
• Combats the social stigma attached to mental health issues and old-fashioned stereotypes that hinders elder’s smooth transition to the aging phenomena
Geriatric Counselling Facilities at Coimbatore
Coimbatore has become one of the growing hubs of healthcare facilities and innovations today. The senior citizens here can benefit from the state-of-art care amenities and services. To enable a smooth transition to aging by breaking the barriers and instilling a fresh sense of hope, Athulya’s Home Care at Coimbatore offers specialised Geriatric Counselling at home. Our counselling team adopts a tailored program through detailed evaluation and comprehensive therapy plans for smoothly navigating across the transitions. There is also a dedicated neurodegenerative specialist team to specifically address acute problems like impaired memory or Alzheimer’s disease.
We attach utmost priority to patient privacy and confidentiality and provide result-oriented counselling sessions for the upliftment of senior lives. So, please get in touch with us(hyperlink) if your beloved elders are facing age-related medical issues, cognitive decline, abnormal behavioural patterns or post-trauma stress.
Information: This blog is for informational purposes only
and should not be considered as a substitute for any treatment or diagnosis.
Seek professional help in case of any emergency. Athulya is not responsible for
any consequences.
Please find the link of the related blog as given below:
1.
https://athulyaassistedliving.wordpress.com/2022/07/02/how-do-geriatric-doctors-play-a-vital-role-in-maintaining-elders-health/
2. https://www.athulyahomecare.com/blog/from-worries-to-wellness-how-geriatric-counseling-transforms-seniors-lives/
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