Using New Attitudes and Technology to Change the Developmental Counseling Focus for Older Populations

The dual challenges of a growing somewhat advanced in life population and the rapid advances in technology call for counselors to discard or drastically change traditional attitudes and counseling techniques with older nation and produce more appropriate approaches for the novel millennium. In the 2002 census, 356 million nation were 65 years or older comprising 123% of the U population. single in every eight Americans is considered somewhat old By 2030, the older population is shoot forwarded to be 70 million, or 20% of the populace. This rapid increase means there will be twice as many Americans 65 years or older in 2030 than in 2000 (Administration upon Aging, 2003).

Although late adulthood, or of advanced age age, has been generally considered to begin at age 65 life expectancies now are extending into the 80 and 90 (Papalia, of advanced ages & Feldman, 2004). Consequently, late adulthood encompasses several decades, and the developmental issues and tasks of later life are ongoing and quite variable. As more and more family live longer and healthier lives, counselors in the 21st hundred can help older clients through focusing on opportunity and empowerment rather than point to be solved [i]or[/i] settleds and decline.

Counselors, older clan and culture can undergo three major changes to help make sure that older people experience this developmental stage as a period of growing and actualization.

1 The traditional and many times negative view of aging must be translated into a more positive approach showed by an empowering philosophy.

2 Developmental tasks at different substages can be identified earlier, for a like reason planning and preparation for these tasks can be the preferr approach, as oppos to assessment of limitations and resultant remediation.

3 Technology can become an enabling tool for older race to reduce and eliminate isolation, disconnectedness, and adjunct associated with dated beliefs and practices.

To be certain as people age, they face numerous life challenges resulting from mounting social and physical changes. If the challenge for aging clan counselors, and society is to transcend developmental changes frequently seen as obstacles, the task of changing attitudes and adopting more empowering approaches that include technology can transform these challenges to opportunities for extension and healthy development. The proof for society is to create an environment in which aging race can enjoy and continue their healthy developmental progression toward reaching their maximum potential.

THE NE TO CHANGE ATTITUDES AND APPROACHES

Mental health professionals and society in general have historically taken an essentially negative view of the somewhat old (Durodoye & Ennis-Cole, 1998; Schweibert, 1994) The limit ageism was coined, reflecting this unfavorable attitude toward aging and older nation (Papalia et al., 2004). Ponzo (1992) referr to the negative stereotyping as age prejudice. Older clan often are viewed as frail, incompetent, inflexible, wedded to the past, sick, moderate helpless, dependent, depressed, lonely, physically limited, and boring (Durodoye & Ennis-Cole, 1998; Myers & Schwiebert, 1996; Ponzo 1992)

These distorted social messages negatively affect the manner in which older clan anticipate this developmental stage. They oftentimes fear the supposed boredom, poor health, los of dignity and self-sufficiency loneliness, lack of money, disenfranchisement, and los that are suppos to be inevitable. They associate their aging with negative psychological, physical, economic, and social changes rather than opportunities for positive growing The older years also are ofttimes seen with finality as a single period of disengagement and a sliding or abrupt decline leading simply to death (Glover 1998) More constructive attitudes would focus upon the aging period as a series of opportunities for achievement, triumph, and positive balance.

Another change in focus might be a reconsideration of Erikson's final life stage. Erikson (1963) described aged age as a period for achieving the task of self integrity versus despair by evaluating one's past life and judging it to have been productive, meaningful, and worthwhile. single might well interpret the task differently by dint of seeing the achievement of me integrity as a process rather than a outcome or result. The traditional interpretation implies the ne to gaze back. In a preferred conceptual framework, the older someone would review his or her life and also become actively involved in creating a balance in the near Achieving ego integrity would not be a period of purely looking back but, instead, would be an ongoing, developmental proces of existential living requiring living in the near with the intention of growing in the future

The ne to modify attitudes about aging with resulting changes in approaches is certainly commended in the counseling literature. Among the strongest proponent of an empowerment approach to working with older somebodys are Waters and Goodman (1990) They described empowerment as the ability to make known positive, satisfying lifestyles and to maximize developmental potential and life satisfaction. Schweibert (1994) further described empowerment approaches as strategies to achieve a faculty of perception of control over one's life and to use this command to positively affect the aging experience.