Successful aging: how to help your patients cope with change.
Collaborative work between physicians and social workers can be very valuable in helping patients to "age successfully." For many patients, the medical consequences of chronic disease are compounded by social problems, such as isolation and loss of self esteem. Social workers attempt to help people cope with the stresses of aging by gaining some degree of control over their lives. Keys to successful aging include being flexible and adaptable in the face of change, being connected in a confidante relationship with at least one other person, and feeling that life has a purpose beyond mere survival. Social workers provide such mental health services as counseling, support, and conflict resolution. They can also assist in the time-consuming work of finding needed community resources.
Solomon
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Hunter/Mount Sinai Geriatric Education Center (GEC), New York.
Peterson
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D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005853:Geriatrics / Q000379:methods*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010819:Physician's Role; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms; D012934:Social Isolation; D012944:Social Support; D012947:Social Work / Q000379:methods*