Retirement and Role Adjustment
After retirement, many older adults struggle with the loss of this, which once gave them purpose.
What is career identity?
This practice, common among older adults, provides emotional comfort and a sense of meaning during times of illness or loss.
What is prayer?
This adaptive coping strategy involves seeking help from others to manage stress and improve mental well-being.
What is social support?
This process, which involves discussing future care preferences and end-of-life wishes, can improve the mental well-being of older adults by reducing stress about the unknown.
What is advance care planning?
During a mental status exam, asking an older adult to recall three words after a few minutes assesses this aspect of cognitive function.
What is short term memory?
This feeling of being unneeded or left out may occur after children move out or
work ends.
What is emptiness or loneliness?
Older adults who engage in this spiritual practice often report lower levels of anxiety and depression.
What is meditation?
Older adults often cope with stress by engaging in this type of activity, which promotes relaxation and mindfulness.
What is meditation or yoga?
Older adults facing the end of life may benefit from this form of counseling, which provides support and helps them manage emotions related to death and dying.
What is grief counseling?
Nurses should assess for this form of mistreatment, which includes physical, verbal, psychological, and financial abuse.
What is elder abuse?
Without structured daily routines, older adults may feel disoriented or bored.
Nurses can help them create this.
What is a daily routine?
This type of spirituality, which focuses on the connectedness with nature, can contribute to peace of mind in older adults.
What is nature-based spirituality?
Older adults may engage in this coping mechanism by focusing on their health, such as eating nutritious foods or exercising, to manage stress and maintain well-being.
What is health-promoting behavior?
This intervention, which focuses on providing relief from pain and emotional suffering at the end of life, can significantly improve an older adult's mental and emotional well-being.
What is hospice care?
This assessment tool is used to evaluate the mental health of older adults, focusing on depression and dementia.
What is the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)?
Adjusting to this fixed source of income can cause stress in newly retired adults.
What is retirement income or a pension?
Participation in religious or spiritual communities can offer older adults a sense of belonging and help reduce this mental health risk.
What is loneliness?
Older adults may use this strategy to cope with stress by avoiding or minimizing unpleasant situations, although it can lead to emotional withdrawal.
What is denial?
A critical component of end-of-life care, this type of therapy supports the mental health of both the older adult and their family by facilitating open conversations about death and dying.
What is psychosocial or therapeutic communication?
A comprehensive assessment of older adults should include this aspect, which considers their ability to carry out daily activities.
What is a functional assessment?
This social role, often taken up by retired individuals in the community or family gives them a renewed sense of responsibility
What is mentorship or caregiver?
The search for meaning in life, which can become more important in later life, often leads older adults to focus more on this aspect of spirituality.
What is existential well-being?
This coping mechanism, which involves reminiscing about past experiences, can help older adults find meaning and emotional satisfaction in later years.
What is reminiscence therapy?
This legal document can guide healthcare providers in making decisions that align with an older adult's values and wishes as they approach the end of life.
What is an advance directive?
This sensory deficit, if unaddressed, can lead to miscommunication and may be mistaken for cognitive decline in an older adult.
What is hearing loss?