ACA Blog

It is interesting that whenever someone asks me what population I work with, and I mention older adults, in my experiences the first thing many people then ask about has something to do with memory loss or dementia. It seems as though there is a widespread association between older individuals and memory loss. I have also encountered individuals who often assume that all of my clients have Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, in my experiences many people seem to then conclude that individuals with such memory loss, Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia could not benefit from counseling.

Through the major transitions, grieving of losses, onset of loneliness, and perceived loss of control, the relinquishment of roles typical of adulthood and acceptance of roles typical to later life become a great challenge for older adults. As I have worked with older adult clients, another theme that adds to the difficulties of adjusting to later life revolves around learning to navigate new roles. Many older adults worked for up to four decades in the same job, developing an identity that was very connected to that job. I have worked with female clients who identify as a mother before anything else; however, are still learning to adjust to having their grown children act as their caregiver, while they are left with no one to care for. These are just a couple examples of the role changes that I have seen in working with my older adult clients. Such role changes go deeper than simply getting use to a new way of living; they tap into the core identity of a person. When that identity is shaken, feelings of anxiety and depression are common symptoms of the struggle to adjust to the changing roles.

As I’ve gained more experience working with my older adult clients, I believe there is one aspect to the work that is the hardest for me not to take home every day. To be present with another person’s loneliness is one of the most heart wrenching feelings to sit with. Loneliness is also perhaps the most pervasive theme I have seen over my time working with older adults. I felt compelled to share my experiences and thoughts on working with clients who are living with such extreme loneliness because so many of my clients have been bringing it up more recently. The clients’ feelings of loneliness don’t even really have to be said since they are so very much felt as soon as I walk into the room. I personally struggle to know how to help my clients with such extreme loneliness.

This week’s entry involves my thoughts and aspect of working with older adult clients that I have found to be incredibly important to gaining a comprehensive picture and providing the best possible treatment for each individual. As I’ve gained more experience working with older adults, I’ve also gained a wealth of knowledge into the world of pharmacology. As a counselor it is imperative to have some background into the numerous psychotropics that are used so widely in today’s world; however, as a counselor working with older adults, I have also become familiar with medications that target just about every human function. It is important to note that my growing familiarity still leaves me far from an expert in pharmacology, rather my familiarity has driven my curiosity and in addition led to some concerning questions regarding the use of certain medications in older adults. I do believe the prescription of various medications to older adults is out of a desire to best maintain or improve their health and well being; however, in hearing stories from the families of some of my older adult clients and reading literature on such medications, I find myself feeling as though the relationship between the use of pharmaceuticals and older adults needs some large modifications and improvements.

In focusing on counseling the older adult population, I may bring up the word personhood in many of my blogs. The concept of personhood has grown to be near to my heart and forever evolving as I grow as a counselor working with older adults. My exploration of personhood was the focus of my master’s thesis, and the model of the development of personhood and the loss of personhood in old age that I present later in this blog is what came from my thesis work.

In starting this new blogging endeavor, I thought it would be best to provide a brief summary of my background and passions as a counselor. I recently completed my masters in mental health counseling this past May and am now pursuing my passion of counseling the senior population. My interest in working with older adults grew from a combination of experiences with my family, as well as my undergraduate and graduate work.

She waited nervously for me to arrive. Her daughter had told her that she needed to see me and that she didn’t really have a choice. She was standing at the front door waiting. Her sweater was pulled tightly around her for protection against the still cold February breeze. As I pulled into her driveway, childhood memories of my grandparents and then my parents flashed into my mind. They too stood by the front porch waiting. Waiting as we arrived to visit, or even worse, waiting as we left them alone yet again returning to the busyness of our lives. They would stand there waving as we drove from sight.

I’ve been on both sides of grief. I’ve been the counselor, and I’ve been the one grieving. Sometimes at the same time. The first major loss I experienced came right before the beginning of my internship, and the second as my training period comes to an end. I found it interesting to reflect upon some of the things I’ve learned through the experience.

Wikipedia, the free on-line dictionary, describes ageism as stereotyping and discrimination against individuals or groups because of their age. It is a set of beliefs, attitudes,, norms, and values that justify prejudice and discrimination. We often hold unconscious thoughts and feelings about older people that automatically come into play that devalue a person who we perceive as "over- the- hill" simply because they have wrinkles or are at the age of retirement.

I love September and October – the colors of orange, yellow and red on the trees. I like sleeping with the windows open and hearing the temperature slowed chirp of a cricket and maybe the occasional hoot of an owl. All of these things are a welcomed departure from the fevered pitch of tree frogs and midnight muffler less motorcycles. The air smells different, with a hint of drying leaves, the last tomatoes, crushed marigolds and surprise green bean or two. If I had a choice, I would keep autumn all year long, a lovely balance of day and night, bright sun, beautiful moon, plus chances to drink iced tea and hot cocoa all in the same day. Lurking just around the corner though… is that time of year. What I am referring to is the cyclical harbinger of doom for many of my clients.