Promoting the psychosocial health of the elderly- the role of social workers.
With the ageing of the global population, the wellbeing of older people in different parts of the world merits special attention. However, recent findings on certain aspects of the psychosocial health of the elderly are far from reassuring. The first problem is the inconsistency in psychosocial indicators, which give simultaneous high life satisfaction scores and high suicide rates. The second problem is the significant weakening of the social support network of the elderly. This article analyses the service and policy implications of these two problems. Suggestions are then made on the role of social workers in promoting the psychosocial health of the elderly at different levels of intervention, which include the individual level, the family and social network level, the community level and the international level.
Chong
Alice Ming-Lin
AM
Department of Applied Social Science, City university of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong. alice.achong@cityu.edu.hk
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019049:Developed Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D005852:Geriatric Psychiatry; D014943:Global Health; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy / Q000639:trends*; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012944:Social Support; D012946:Social Welfare / Q000523:psychology*; D012949:Social Work, Psychiatric / Q000941:ethics* / Q000379:methods; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000092864:Suicide Prevention