Growing old is often associated with losing physical and mental balance. And rightly so. A person’s objectivity, higher-order cognitive processes, and five senses gradually weaken over time. It becomes increasingly difficult to perceive the physical nature of things and objects around during a regular day. Other physical and mental illnesses further contribute to cognitive haziness. Mentally, the subjectivity of a person, their emotions and feelings also weaken and become rusty.
Many senior citizens try to maintain their objectivity and balance. And while they might not be trying to hone their cognitive abilities, they are trying hard to keep them from falling apart. The helplessness, dependency, loss of autonomy, daily life hassles, and deduced social network they strive to fit in with a whole new generation becomes a challenging task to deal with, especially at the time when they are both physically and mentally vulnerable.
Old age comes with health issues that affect the elderly and their families. Arthritis, heart problems, weaker bones, and neurological problems are just a few ailments to name. The caregivers, as well as care recipients, require mental preparation to skillfully get through this stage of growth.
The psychology of growing old is so complex yet so simple. The easiest way to understand is not out of pity, but out of compassion.
The elderly seem resistant to change. Comfortable in their life’s patterns and certainty, the passion and the fire that keeps you alert and awake start to appear unimportant. Their lives are calmer, with fewer thoughts, and less eccentricity. They build a comfort zone and a castle of consistency to hold on to which is quite difficult to let go of.
The elderly often live in the past. Telling tales of their youth like it was yesterday. Psychologically, the elderly find it much easier to stick to their preconceived notions and mindset, and might often show anger and irritability in the face of change.
While some elderly stop fully living at 60, others don’t give in to the armchair and bedpan well into their 90s. Their consciousness, upbringing, beliefs, culture, nurturing environment and lifestyle decides that.
Many things go into the psychology of growing old, but it is the psychology of growing up that truly defines how we are as people, no matter at what age.
One of the most important things for the elderly is relationship-building. While ideally, it should start as early as possible, it is never too late. As a caregiver, child, or grandchild, one of the first things you can do is speak with them more often. Build a relationship. Ask questions about their victories in life and about the time they felt highly productive. Give them space to be vocal about the things they want.
Another psychological factor that affects ageing is early life. If your senior has led a life of struggle or discipline, their attitudes and approaches to things might be very different from a senior who grew up on a farm caring for animals. The psychological needs differ for people with varying personalities.
Many elderly can improve psychologically and have healthy ageing with the support of their loved ones. They have lived their lives and need compassion, assistance, and love.
While some elderly claim to have lived a satisfying life, the scenario might be different for some others. The guilt of not living a fulfilled life, moral dilemmas not being dealt with effectively, wrong decisions, and exposure to a murky life for a long period might keep haunting. Such thoughts if untreated and ignored might manifest differently for different people, forcing some to even enter a psychotic zone trying to escape reality. The point here, as a caregiver, is to empathetically understand what bothers a person.
The psychology of growing old shows that not everyone has to go down the path of physical problems, mental health issues, and a miserable end.
When we are equipped with the right resources and knowledge, we can ensure that our loved ones live their best possible years and do not face pain and damage.