What's so different about older people?

Abstract

This paper introduces the special section on psychological therapy with older adults. It is widely accepted that the provision of health services, including psychological services, to older people is subject to ageism. There is no justification for arbitrary age cut-offs in making decisions about the appropriateness of psychological treatment, and good practice with younger adults is just as applicable in later life. The specialist aspects of working with older adults, which are highlighted in this paper, include working with people with cognitive impairment, the recognition of the importance and impact of past events and the importance of the social context in which older people find themselves. These aspects are not unique to work with older adults, and indeed should also be considered in work with younger adults. However, they form a constant backdrop to psychological therapy with older adults, which has an increasingly strong evidence-base to underpin it.

Silver Surfers, E-government and the Digital Divide: An Exploratory Study of UK Local Authority Websites and Older Citizens

“…This is due to advances in living conditions, technologies and lifestyles that people are living longer and causing increases in the numbers of older people [76]. Contrary to stereotypes of older people being unable to cope with the rapid technological advancements that have occurred over the last 25 years, many seniors have embraced the Internet revolution [104]. Due to the older population group embracing novel technology, older people have been labelled Silver Surfers, a popular description of the confident and competent older ICT user [22].…”

Schema Therapy in the Nursing Home Setting: A Case Study of a Cognitively Impaired Patient

“…We suggest that psychological treatment should never be withheld from people solely on the basis of age, setting, or the presence of a cognitive disorder (Woods, 2003). Individual assessment should take place to obtain a person-centered, tailored treatment advice.…”

A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of a Pilot Psychosocial Intervention Group for Older People with Schizophrenia

“…There is a strong evidence base for psychological treatments in younger adults with schizophrenia, but research trials have traditionally excluded people over the age of 65 years (Wykes, Steel, Everitt and Tarrier, 2008). Older adults often have unique needs requiring specifically tailored and validated interventions (Woods, 2003; Department of Health, 2005, 2009, 2011). Interventions with older people may require age-relevant adaptations, such as using repetition, rehearsal and presenting information in different modalities to compensate for cognitive or sensory problems.…”