Assessing Mental Competency in the Elderly

Yury, Craig A.; Gentry, Ruth; LeRoux, Hillary; Fisher, Jane E.; Buchanan, Jeffrey A.

doi:10.1016/b978-012524196-0/50011-5

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…A legal guardianship may be legally created following a court hearing when an individual is determined as lacking the capacity to understand relevant information and making the decisions necessary to take care of their essential needs (American Bar Association, 1996). However, in the United States, 15 states included the simple presence of “advanced age” (or some medical disease) as a premise for determining the individual's competence without consideration of actual limitations (Anderer, 1990)—thus increasing the risk of unfairly limiting the older adult's independence (as concluded by Yury, Gentry, LeRoux, Fisher, & Buchanan, 2004, in a review of this literature). Guardianships are created for an incapacitated individual's protection; however, they also remove all legal rights from that person (e.g., the right to marry, make health care decisions, the right to make gifts) as well as personal rights (e.g., living arrangements, lifestyle, and personal decisions).…”

Section: Policy and Programmatic Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ageism: A Review of Research and Policy Implications

Bugental

Hehman

2007

Social Issues Policy Review

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The current literature on aging and ageism is summarized in support of a theoretical perspective that includes both the biological and the psychosocial components of these processes. Conceptual and methodological problems are identified in models that rely on a deficit approach to aging. We suggest that the biased responses of others foster older adults' stress‐related emotional and hormonal responses—responses that may effectively reduce their social and cognitive competence. This negative feedback process ultimately acts in a stereotype‐maintaining fashion. Implications are drawn for possible changes in social policy and institutional practices that may reduce or prevent the harmful effects of ageism. Examples are given of existing policies and practices that limit the lives of older adults (in the guise of protection), along with newly instituted policies and practices (including those at an international level) that place the welfare of older adults in the context of life course issues shared by all.

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Section: Policy and Programmatic Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%