introduction We are Team Bowenians, a group of dedicated volunteers who aim to help the elderly in Singapore by raising funds for O’Joy Care Services under the Youth for Causes 2010 Project. navigation About Us Current, Upcoming and Past Events FAQ (Coming Soon) Leave a Comment Contact Us affiliates Youth For Causes Official Website O'Joy Care Services Archives June 2010 July 2010 August 2010 September 2010 Credits Edited @ Juneloves. Layouts @Glamouresque.	Sunday, September 12, 2010 writeup on the elderly, part ii Having taken a look at the demographics of the elderly yesterday, let us go deeper into the concerns and woes of the aged. PART II: So you say you are troubled – A closer look at the issues faced by the elderly Elder Abuse Elder Abuse is a blanket term that refers to harming older adults. It can range from emotional abuse (such as scolding, name-calling, shouting, ignoring, threatening the target and so on) to physical harm, which can come in the form of hitting, confining or giving excessive improper medication to the victim. The victim may also be subject to financial exploitation. For example, the victim’s abusive family members might use his property or money without his permission. In extreme cases, the victim may be driven out of his home or be deprived of his basic needs such as food and clothing. Elder abuse is committed mostly by family members of the aged. Unfortunately, the elderly may not be able to take effective action due to poor physical conditions and/or low self-esteem. Some of them may even have mental handicaps that impair their judgement, making them easy targets for abuse. The Family Health and Wellness website lists the following as common signs of elder abuse: appearing depressed and withdrawn does not want to spend time away from their family or a caregiver appears afraid to make their own decisions appears to be hiding something about a caregiver Appears to have no spending money May put off going to the doctor Appears to have experienced too many household "accidents" Marital Issues Those who are married may face marital problems upon reaching old age. Possible causes include physical illnesses, changes in gender roles as well as retirement and financial problems. The reasons differ on a case-by-case basis. Mental health issues In general, aged experience slower reaction times and agility than their younger counterparts. Their ability to think clearly and to recall memories becomes diminished as well. Some of the mental complications that the elderly may face include, but are not limited to, dementia, delirium schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Depression Depression is a commonly found condition amongst elderly women – the lifetime risk of getting depression in females is around 10% higher than males. Depression can be resultant of a rapid chain of several personal losses. Some of the medication that the elderly take, such as progesterone and anti-cancer drugs are known to be associated with depression. Depression can be treated with psychotherapy and anti-depressants, which are often used in conjunction with each other. Need to learn self-care Some members of the elderly need to improve their methods of personal health maintenance. Caregiver Stress Caregiver stress refers to caregivers experiencing guilt, frustration and/or anger due to their caregiving responsibilities. More often than not, caregivers giving care to the elderly and/or disabled require the help and support of their family, friends and community. However, studies show that they usually choose to perform their caregiving responsibilities alone. This may increase the caregiver's risk of depression and illness, and/or strain the relationship between the caregiver and the care receiver. Death and dying, Grief and loss With the rise of end-of-life issues, the elderly may start to have some concerns and woes regarding death, such as the fear of dying or a sense of remorse and regret if they feel that they did not live life the way they wanted. These concerns may also generate a feeling of grief and loss. Relationship Issues The above-mentioned problems faced by the elderly often extend to their loved ones inadvertently , causing strains to their relationship. Such relationship problems can be a culmination of the previous problems, or be the result of misunderstanding between the aged person and his loved ones. Consider the following example - the maid caring for an aged woman experiences caregiver stress, causing her to vent her anger on the elderly lady on a few occasions, leading to arguments. This, when coupled with other factors, can sour the relationship between the two. That concludes our two-part writeup on the elderly. We hope that it has given our readers some insight into the problems faced by the elderly. - Team Bowenians
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