GERONTOLOGY: PSYCHOLOGY of AGEING (Fully Accredited)

In this lecture we will continue discussing terminology related to psychology and to our particular topic on ageing and older age. Let’s have a look at another couple of definitions that you might come across in your studies and literature related to this subject. This lesson we’ll start with a definition of ‘gerontology’ where we will try to fully understand what the term really means and how it’s applicable to Psychology. 

In this lecture we will discuss what is considered to be ‘old age’ in different countries, how different people suggest this notion in different ways, and how we look at ‘old age’ as we transition through life. This video is connected to research in psychology, but most importantly it is also connected to ‘real-life’ examples and scenarios which can give you a more realistic picture and not just a theory from some textbook!

During our previous lectures you have learned what the term ‘old age’ means across the globe, and how we can view it from the scientific perspective. In this lecture we will continue discussing the topic of ‘ageing’ and particularly what really happen to our bodies and mind when we grow older. We will also look briefly at the factors that can help us to slow down the ageing process, but we will come back to this topic many times throughout this course!

Here we will start our next module where we will focus more on ‘psychology’ of older age, for example how we ‘stereotype’ older people and how it affects them, what the ‘life stages’ are according to some psychologists, and how our needs and goals change throughout our age. So let’s start our first lecture with a discussion of ‘stereotypes’ that are related to ‘older people’. Are there any that come to your mind?

In our previous lecture we were able to see that many stereotypes applicable to older age are simply not true, though sadly, we cannot change the attitude of the whole society, and these stereotypes are likely to be used in the future too.  But how do they affect older people? Do older people experience negative side effects from any comments based on those stereotypes or can they just simply ignore them and not become affected by them? Let’s discuss this here! 

In this lecture we will discuss a few theories that explain human life stages from a psychological perspective. There are several theorists that explain various transitional stages such as from ‘birth’ to ‘childhood’ and from ‘childhood’ to ‘adolescence’, but as this course is about ‘older age’, that is what we will be focusing on! 

In this lecture we will continue discussing the topic of ‘psychology of older age’ and more interesting questions related to it. 

It is obvious that when we are young we can plan our future and have many goals that we wish to achieve. But what can we say about older people? What do they look forward to?

So let’s discuss these questions here!

Many people believe that when you get older, your memory becomes significantly worse. And you have probably heard your family members saying something like, ‘Where my memory has gone to… Getting old is not fun’. So let’s have a look at what really is going on with our memory when we get older. Is it a stereotype, self-belief and as a consequence - a self-fulfilling prophecy? Or it is possible to keep our memory sharp at any age? 

In this lecture we will be looking at definition and types of ‘learning disabilities’, after which we will discuss if older people with learning disabilities can be affected by any premature health conditions in comparison to people without any mental health conditions or disorders. In this lecture you will also learn how older people with learning disabilities cope with any health-related problems and how they can be reduced through psychological interventions. 

In this lecture we will continue discussing the topic of mental health conditions and disorders in the elderly. One of the health issues that is connected to older age and the one that most people are afraid of getting the most (when they get older) is dementia. 

Most people associate dementia with losing the ability to remember places and people, including their family members, understand and communicate about the topics that were well-known to them for many years prior to their illness, an ability (or ‘confusion’) to remember their own identity. So let’s discuss this mental health illness from a psychological perspective: what this illness represents, the signs and symptoms, and what help is available currently. 

In this lecture we will discuss the topics of ‘chronic illness’ and ‘disabilities’. We will have a look at their definitions so that we understood exactly what they mean, and afterwords we will discuss how chronic illness and disabilities can psychologically affect the person over a longer period of time. Finally, we will have a look at research that gives us suggestions in to how we can help the older group of population to develop their own coping skills and improve their quality of life. 

When you think of older people and substance abuse, you might be thinking that it is ‘alcohol’ that we are talking about. But the problem is more extensive than you might think. Substance abuse also includes drugs including those that are prescribed to adults but tend to be abused. For example, strong painkillers, anti-depressants, tranquillisers, and sleeping pills will be some of them. So let’s discuss this topic here!

For many people the term ‘quality of life’ can mean different things. For some this would be the level of their physical and mental performance, for others - freedom to do what they want to do which can involve financial wellbeing. The ‘quality of life’ in a younger age can be very different than what we would consider in our older age, and this is what we will be discussing in this lecture. 

Earlier in this course we were saying that one of the general assumptions that is related to old age, is that older people tend to be lonely. We’ve also looked at the evidence in one of our earlier lectures on ‘stereotypes and older age’, and we know that in reality many older people have good social life and support from their families. So in many cases older people are not lonely. But how many are? And what are the causes for loneliness do we know so far? Let’s discuss it in this lecture!

In this lecture we will discuss yet another important topic that is related to ‘psychology of older age’ - which we refer to as ‘coping with grief and bereavement’. It is obvious why we need to look at this topic in more details. 

On average older people tend to experience grief and bereavement much more frequently than younger aged people considering they have more friends and family members who are also in their old age. But does that mean that they can they cope better with grief, having a lengthy experience and knowledge of it? Let’s have a look at the research and psychology behind it and draw our own conclusions!

In this module we’ve been discussing that older people require a good quality of life and that many factors can negatively and easily affect it. Loneliness, coping with grief and bereavement, insufficient resources - financial and social support, are amongst a few. In this lecture we’ll be discussing ‘mild and severe depression in the elderly’: the signs and symptoms, and what is possibly to do to reduce or prevent them. 

We have already mentioned the topic of death and dying in our previous lectures. Older age and dying seems to go hand in hand, whether we like it or not. When we think of ‘older age’, we might think of the remaining years of life, going through grief and bereavement of our dearest friends and family, and how much it is possible to accomplish in the remaining years of life. So let’s discuss here whether older people experience fear of dying and what research suggests as a good coping strategy for dealing with this issue. 

In this module we will be discussing how to improve health and wellbeing in older age, and whether it is really worth doing anything about it once you reach a certain age. In our first lecture of this module we will discuss the effects of exercise on health and whether it is possible to improve certain conditions through exercising in older age. 

Older age is associated with slowing down. Most activities become decreased in their frequency or stopped entirely, and the person feels less energetic about participating in any new behaviours. 

This can happen because the person is experiencing certain health issues, they are less mobile and more fragile. The person might be afraid to fall down which can lead to serious health consequences. So is it worth doing any exercise at all or is it better to take it easy and protect own body as much as possible?

In the previous lecture we were discussing the benefits of exercising in older age and whether it is too late to start exercising after a certain age. Research showed that in fact, exercising at any age is highly beneficial to us, and as a result of cardiovascular exercise and resistance training we can improve our mental and physical health. 

Now let’s have a look at another component of ‘healthy living’ - which is related to what we eat and drink each day. What does the research on ‘healthy eating’ and ‘older age’ suggests? Let’s discuss it here!

In this lecture we will discuss all other factors that might contribute to feeling good and being healthy, particularly in our older age. We’ve already discussed the role of healthy eating and exercising in the elderly, so what else can we add to that? Can you think of anything else that would be beneficial for their health and wellbeing? Let’s discuss it in this lecture!

In this lecture we will discuss the most important factors when it comes to caring for an older adult. Whether this takes place in a care home or the individual’s family home where their family members take role as their caregivers, caring for older people uses the same principles. Which principles come to your mind? Have a think and start this lecture afterwards! 

In this short video your tutor wants to say her thanks to you for participation in her class!