The Psychology Of Aging

Course overview

The INR course, The Psychology of Aging, will help providers advise clients on important issues, such as how and where to get the care they need and whether to seek assisted living, therapy, et cetera. It is important for providers to understand and remain cognizant of the psychological affects of natural aging and to be able to distinguish them from the effects of injury, disease, or chemical imbalances. This course will help providers make this distinction in light of the most current research. This course details the physiological processes of aging and how it affects the five senses. Recent studies, for example, have shown that old age causes a loss of vision and hearing that may result from a number of physiological and psychological changes: changes in the organs of perception, changes in the nervous system in general, and a decline in cognitive functioning. The loss of the olfactory sense, however, correlates with cognitive decline and may be symptomatic of mental illnesses associated with aging, such as Alzheimers disease. Symptoms in the earlier stages of Alzheimers disease and Parkinsons disease may closely resemble the effects of the natural aging process. It is important for providers to distinguish the difference; a patient with Alzheimers disease will get progressively worse and require a different approach than a patient who has occasional benign memory lapses. This course reviews the effects of aging on creativity, memory and language as well as the effect of aging on intelligence and cognitive thinking. This course discusses personality changes associated with aging. A study by psychologist Hans Eysenck shows older people become more introverted with age but have a decrease in psychotic and neurotic behavior. While there is considerable debate on whether these changes are due to physiological changes or the social and cultural attitudes toward the elderly, providers nonetheless will be able to offer a more concise plan of care by taking into account these factors. This course also discusses mental health issues that are common among the elderly, identifying depression as the most common. For example, decline of intelligence and cognitive functioning often occurs in conjunction with stroke or heart-attack. Depression, in turn, can result from loss of physical sensations such as hearing, causing feelings of isolation and incompetence. Overall, this course is beneficial to providers, offering a thorough understanding of developing theories specific to the psychological processes of aging.