The Assessment And Treatment Of Older Adults

This book shows mental health providers how to expand their practice in order to treat older adults.

Learn about the key issues when assessing and treating older adults with mental health problems: Expert guidance through the key topics Highlights the best assessment and treatment practices Addresses diversity, ethical, and health system issues Full of real-life case examples Resources in the appendix to test your knowledge More about the book Mental health practitioners are encountering an ever-growing number of older adults and so an up-to-date and comprehensive text addressing the special considerations that arise in the psychological assessment and treatment of this population is vital. This accessible handbook does just that by introducing the key topics that psychologists and other health professionals face when working with older adults. Each area is introduced and then the special considerations for older adults are explored, including specific ethical and healthcare system issues. The use of case examples brings the topics further to life. An important feature of the book is the interweaving of diversity issues (culture, race, sexuality, etc.) within the text to lend an inclusive, contemporary insight into these important practice components. The Pikes Peak Geropsychology Knowledge and Skill Assessment Tool is included in an appendix so readers can test their knowledge, which will be helpful for those aiming for board certification in geropsychology (ABGERO). This an ideal text for mental health professionals transitioning to work with older clients, for those wanting to improve their knowledge for their regular practice, and for trainees or young clinicians just starting out.

"Due to improvements in health and healthcare, the elderly population is expanding rapidly within the developed world. However, more and more elderly people require some form of psychological support at some point in their later years. The types of problems faced by this population are quite distinct and often more complex than those faced by younger adults, and throw up many new challenges - in both assessment and treatment. Within this book Knight and Pachana argue that psychological assessment needs to be more tightly integrated with therapy, especially with older adult clients. Using the Contextual Adult Lifespan Theory for Adapting Psychotherapy (CALTAP) as a framework for applying our knowledge about developmental, social contextual, and cohort/generational factors that influence age differences in response to psychological assessment and therapy, they present an integrated framework for psychological assessment and therapy with older adults."--Publisher's website.

Illustrated with abundant clinical material, this book provides essential knowledge and skills for effective mental health practice with older adults. It demonstrates how to evaluate and treat frequently encountered clinical problems in this population, including dementias, mood and anxiety disorders, and paranoid symptoms. Strategies are presented for implementing psychosocial interventions and integrating them with medications. The book also describes insightful approaches for supporting family caregivers and addresses the nuts and bolts of consulting in institutional settings. Combining their expertise as a researcher and an experienced clinician, the authors offer a unique perspective on the challenges facing older adults and how to help them lead more fulfilling and independent lives. Three reproducible forms can also be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.

The older adult population is booming in the United State and across the globe. With this boom comes an increase in the number of older adults who experience psychological disorders. Current estimates suggest that about 20% of older persons are diagnosable with a mental disorder: Personality disorders are among the most poorly understood, challenging, and frustrating of these disorders among older adults. This book is designed to provide scholarly and scientifically-based guidance about the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of personality disorders to health professionals, mental health professionals, and senior service professionals who encounter personality-disordered or "difficult" older adults.

This open access book provides a comprehensive perspective on the concept of ageism, its origins, the manifestation and consequences of ageism, as well as ways to respond to and research ageism. The book represents a collaborative effort of researchers from over 20 countries and a variety of disciplines, including, psychology, sociology, gerontology, geriatrics, pharmacology, law, geography, design, engineering, policy and media studies. The contributors have collaborated to produce a truly stimulating and educating book on ageism which brings a clear overview of the state of the art in the field. The book serves as a catalyst to generate research, policy and public interest in the field of ageism and to reconstruct the image of old age and will be of interest to researchers and students in gerontology and geriatrics.

Grounded in extensive research, this book outlines a deliberative process in the psychosocial care of older adults, both in terms of assessment and treatment. It is a clinical undertaking with academic emphasis on the real life needs of older adults, and even considers current meta-trends of health. The world of aging has changed. Data now clearly suggest that older age is replete with exciting complexities that can be unpacked and changed. Specifically, the book articulates a Watch and Wait model of care espousing a plan for the modal problems of later life. Five domains are presented as a sufficient understanding of a case: general health, cognition, depression, anxiety, and life adjustment. Importantly, assessment is considered first in each domain and a profile for each patient is provided as a result. The text also discusses the role of personality in later life. Empirically supported interventions are then provided in each area. This book is intended for health care professionals, as well as academics who work with this population. Older age is changing and a newer model of care is necessary.

This Third Edition of the bestselling Psychotherapy with Older Adults continues to offer students and professionals a thorough overview of psychotherapy with older adults. Using the contextual, cohort-based, maturity, specific challenge (CCMSC) model, it draws upon findings from scientific gerontology and life-span developmental psychology to describe how psychotherapy needs to be adapted for work with older adults, as well as when it is similar to therapeutic work with younger adults. Sensitively linking both research and experience, author Bob G. Knight provides a practical account of the knowledge, technique, and skills necessary to work with older adults in a therapeutic relationship. This volume considers the essentials of gerontology as well as the nature of therapy in depth, focusing on special content areas and common themes.