Medicines

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………3

Chapter 1. The aging process and age-related changes in the body

1.1 The concept of mental aging……………………………………………………5

1.2 Changes in a person as an individual that occur in old age and old age………………………………………………………………………………..8

Chapter 2. Mental changes in the personality of an old person

2.1 Psychological portrait of an old man……………………………..12

2.2 Classification of mental changes in old age and types of psychological aging……………………………………………………13

2.3 Types of personality adaptation to old age……………………………18

Chapter 3. Prevention of aging

3.1 The main stressors of elderly and senile people and ways to overcome them………………………………………………………………………………..22

3.2 Healthy lifestyle as a factor of longevity………………………….24

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………35

List of sources…………………………………………………………………………………37

INTRODUCTION One of the demographic characteristics on planet Earth is aging its population (especially in high developed countries

peace). It is determined by many factors, the main one of which is a clear trend towards a reduction in the birth rate in developed countries. The idea of ​​the age of 50-60 years as the age of old age has sunk into oblivion. Mortality at this age today, at the beginning of the 21st century, has fallen four times compared to the end of the 18th century; Mortality rates among 70-year-olds have recently halved. For a modern person, after retirement, the reality of living on average another 15-20 years has become quite obvious. What could a person’s life be like during this period? Decay, decline, illness, infirmity, loss of ability to work, etc.? Or, on the contrary, the opportunity to conduct a full-fledged (taking into account the changed realities), interesting life

Today, two generations most acutely feel the consequences of socio-economic transformations: these are people of mature and elderly age. Economic troubles appear for them in a very specific form of the king of hunger, about which N. Nekrasov once wrote. In order to live, and not survive, especially older people, they need knowledge and skills to establish social communications, in order to realize the forces of life that they still feel within themselves. This requires deep, in-depth work on yourself. Examples of extraordinary efficiency and creativity are demonstrated by people of very advanced age. After 70 years, many famous scientists worked successfully - P. Lamarck, M. Euler, C. Laplace, G. Galileo, Im. Kant, etc. A. Humbolt wrote “Cosmos” from 76 to 89 years old, I.P. Pavlov created “Twenty Years’ Experience” at the age of 73, and “Lectures on the work of the cerebral hemispheres” at the age of 77 (and in total Ivan Petrovich Pavlov lived for 87 years).

But life also shows that in old and late age a person can be deeply unhappy, lonely, be a “burden” for loved ones, a “nuisance” for young people, and even experience cruel treatment both in the family and in a state social institution .

How to help an elderly person avoid all these problems and try to live more calmly and joyfully - these are the questions that interest me in this work.

Target This work is a consideration of the psychological characteristics of older people.

Job Objectives :

1.Make a psychological portrait of an old person.

2. Outline the range of age-related changes in the body of an elderly person.

3. Describe an approximate prevention of aging.

Chapter 1. THE AGING PROCESS AND AGE CHANGES IN THE BODY

1.1 The concept of mental aging

Old age is the final phase in human development, in which this process occurs along a descending life curve. In other words, in a person’s life, from a certain age, involutionary signs appear, which is already expressed in appearance an old person, a decrease in his vital activity, limited physical capabilities.

Old age can approach a person in two ways: through physiological weakening of the body and through a decrease in the strength and mobility of mental processes.

In old age, there is a natural and obligatory decrease in strength and limitation of physical capabilities. These involutionary processes also affect mental activity, which is expressed in a variety of mental states that are not accompanied by dementia, and then they speak of mental decline.

In his monograph “Mental Aging” N.F. Shakhmatov defines it as a case of natural aging, in which there is a decrease in mental strength, a narrowing of the volume of mental life, and economical use of available resources.

Manifestations of physical decline are expressed in a limited range of interests, passivity, and mental lethargy. But the time of its manifestation, rate of progression, severity and depth are different. As N.F. points out. Shakhmatov, the appearance of noticeable signs of mental decline can be attributed mainly to the end of life (85 years and older.)

Mental weakness, decreased strength and mobility of mental processes during mental decline in old age are closely related to the factor of physical health. Strengthening physical health and healing from somatic diseases quickly lead to revitalization of mental life in old age.

At the other extreme are researchers who tend to praise the “charm of old age.” In these people, physical weakening is compensated by high spiritual uplift. Therefore, the period preceding the onset of old age and senile illness is called “ best years" This is what is meant when they talk about a happy old age.

Happy old age- This is a particularly favorable form of aging. A happy old age is satisfaction with the new life and one’s role in this life. This is a form of favorable mental aging, when a long life brings new positive emotions that a person did not know in the past.

L.N. Tolstoy said: “I never thought that old age was so attractive.”

And finally, the third group of researchers finds both negative and positive features in old age.

When characterizing mental aging, it is necessary to take into account some positive changes that are compensatory or adaptive in new living conditions. Thus, simultaneously with a decrease in the level of mental activity, qualitative changes are noted that help overcome and balance this decrease, achieving structural unity of the deficient signs of aging with positive or compensatory ones. This indicates the ability to adapt to new living conditions in old age. When studying the abilities of old people aged 60 to 93 years, it was found that they use the structure of their experience, drawing elements from it to maintain existing knowledge at the proper level and to process it into new knowledge. Old people can greatly develop some of their abilities and even manifest new ones.

1.2 Changes in a person as an individual that occur in old age and old age

The aging process is a genetically programmed process, accompanied by certain age-related changes in the body. During the period of human life after maturity, a gradual weakening of the body’s activity occurs. Older people are not as strong and are not able to withstand prolonged physical or nervous stress as in their younger years; their total energy reserves become less and less; The vitality of body tissues is lost, which is closely related to a decrease in their fluid content. As a result of this dehydration, older people's joints become stiff. If this occurs in the bone joints of the chest, breathing becomes difficult. Age-related dehydration leads to dry skin, it becomes more sensitive to irritation and sunburn, itching appears in places, the skin loses matte shade. Dry skin, in turn, prevents sweating, which regulates surface body temperature. Due to the weakened sensitivity of the nervous system, older and older people react more slowly to changes in external temperature and are therefore more susceptible to the adverse effects of heat and cold. Changes in the sensitivity of various sense organs occur, the external manifestations of which are expressed in a weakened sense of balance, uncertainty in gait, loss of appetite, the need for brighter illumination of space, etc. Here are some examples: people over 50 need twice as much light, and over 80, three times; In a 20-year-old person, the wound heals on average in 31 days, in a 40-year-old person in 55 days, in a 60-year-old person in 100 days, and then progressively.

Many studies indicate aging of the cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, nervous and other systems, i.e. about negative changes in the body during the process of its involution. At the same time, materials are accumulating that lead scientists to an understanding of aging as an extremely complex, internally contradictory process, which is characterized not only by a decrease, but also by an increase in the activity of the body.

All changes in the body during aging are individual in nature. There are people who, until old age, retain a very high latent (hidden) time of speech reaction; the difference in the direction of better or worse can be twentyfold.

During the period of decline, a man is susceptible to developing atherosclerosis, which causes a general weakening (decrease) in vital activity. Metabolic disorders caused by a reduction in the amount of hormones produced by the gonads lead to weakening of muscles, which is so typical for men at this age. This is often accompanied by general decrepitude and loss of interest in life.

Starting from 50-55 years of age, the functions of a man’s nervous system are disrupted to an even greater extent than at the previous age. First of all, this manifests itself in a reduced ability to respond to stimuli. Along with them, signs of memory deterioration appear. The central nervous system, primarily the cerebral cortex, controls all functions of the body - from the motor system to the most complex in its purpose internal organs; all this cannot but have a negative impact on activities. All of the above applies equally to the work of the endocrine glands (thyroid, pancreas, adrenal glands, etc.) and to metabolism in general, which, starting from the age of 45-50, gradually weakens.

This primarily affects the functioning of the cardiovascular system. If in people from 40 to 50 years of age heart disease causes 25% of all deaths, then at the age of 50 to 60 years it reaches 40%, from 60 to 70 years - 52%, from 70 to 80 years it reaches 62 %, and between the ages of 80 and 90 years account for 66% of all deaths.

Atherosclerosis is found much more often in men than in women. The development of atherosclerosis is facilitated by diabetes mellitus, which is becoming increasingly common in the modern world. Atherosclerosis is the transformation of the elastic fibers of blood vessels into stiffer fibers, and salt deposition occurs, which turns the arteries into rigid tubes with an ever-decreasing lumen.

Heart attacks are more common in men than women and usually after age 50, although heart attacks in younger people are also common.

Angina pectoris (angina pectoris) affects men 4 times more often than women. Most often this happens between the ages of 50 and 60 years. Its cause is atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels, leading to a narrowing of the lumen of the arteries. Short-term but strong spasms of the coronary vessels are angina pectoris, the attack lasts 10-20 minutes, then the pain goes away, the feeling of squeezing goes away. In this regard, one should lead a gentle lifestyle in order to avoid a heart attack; under this condition, patients with angina pectoris live a long time.

As atherosclerosis spreads, a dangerous and severe disease - brain stroke (stroke) - is becoming increasingly common. The cause of this disease is a sudden blockage of the arteries of the brain, the brain is left without life-giving arterial blood and begins to die. If the focus of necrosis is extensive and includes vital brain centers, then death occurs quickly. In milder cases, the consequences of a stroke are paralysis, usually of some half of the body, of varying degrees of severity.

Atherosclerosis of the lower extremities is a highly male disease. Its signs are pain and frequent cramps in the calves; a person gets tired very quickly when walking, and while walking he may experience such severe pain in his calves that he is forced to stop and take a rest. After a while the pain goes away and you can go, then everything repeats. This is mainly a disease of men who smoke, which often ends in amputation. These are the consequences of atherosclerosis, and that’s not all, there are a lot of them.

Hypertension affects men more often than women; in the 6th decade of life, up to 30% of people suffer from it. This disease most often affects people who are responsible, energetic, active, who can and want to do their job in a dignified manner. They are the ones who find themselves in a situation of chronic stress because of their sense of responsibility and the need to implement it.

Thus, various kinds of changes in a person as an individual that occur in old and senile age are aimed at updating the potential, reserve capabilities accumulated in the body during the period of growth, maturity and formed during late ontogenesis. At the same time, the participation of the individual in the preservation of the individual organization and the regulation of its further development during the period of gerotogenesis should be strengthened.

Further changes during the period of gerotogenesis depend on the degree of maturity of a particular person as an individual and subject of activity.

Chapter 2. PSYCHOLOGICAL CHANGES IN THE PERSONALITY OF AN OLD PERSON

2.1 Psychological portrait of an old man

What can be said about changes in the personality of an old person? What are typical manifestations? Most often, negative, negative characteristics are named, from which such a psychological “portrait” of an old person could be obtained. Decreased self-esteem, self-doubt, dissatisfaction with oneself; fear of loneliness, helplessness, impoverishment, death; gloominess, irritability, pessimism; decreased interest in new things - hence grumbling, grumpiness; closure of interests on oneself - selfishness, self-centeredness, increased attention to one’s body; uncertainty about the future - all this makes old people petty, stingy, overly cautious, pedantic, conservative, lacking initiative, etc.

Fundamental research by domestic and foreign scientists testifies to the diverse manifestations of an old person’s positive attitude towards life, towards people, towards himself.

K.I. Chukovsky wrote in his diary: “... I never knew that it was so joyful to be an old man, that not a day - my thoughts are kinder and brighter.” Researcher of personal changes in old age N.F. Shakhmatov, characterizing the symptoms of mental decline and mental illnesses and disorders, believes that “the idea of ​​mental aging cannot be complete and integral without taking into account favorable cases, which better than any other options characterize aging, which is inherent only to humans. These options, whether they are designated as successful, successful, favorable and, finally, happy, reflect their advantageous position in comparison with other forms of mental aging.”

2.2 Classification of mental changes in old age and types of psychological aging

All changes at this age can be classified into three areas:

1. In intellectual- difficulties arise in acquiring new knowledge and ideas, in adapting to unforeseen circumstances. A wide variety of circumstances can turn out to be difficult: those that were relatively easy to overcome in youth (moving to a new apartment, illness of one’s own or of someone close to you), especially those that have not been encountered before (the death of one of the spouses, limited mobility caused by paralysis; complete or partial loss of vision.)

2. In the emotional sphere- uncontrolled increase in affective reactions (strong nervous arousal) with a tendency to causeless sadness and tearfulness. The reason for the reaction could be a movie about past times or a broken cup.

In her theory of development, French psychologist Charlotte Buhler identifies five phases of development; the last, fifth phase begins at 65-70 years. The author believes that during this period many people stop pursuing the goals that they set for themselves in their youth. They spend their remaining energy on leisure, living out their last years in peace. At the same time, they review their life, experiencing satisfaction or disappointment. A neurotic person usually experiences disappointment, because a neurotic person generally does not know how to enjoy success, he is never satisfied with his achievements, it always seems to him that he did not receive something, that he was not given something. As we get older, these doubts intensify.

The eighth crisis (E. Erikson) or the fifth phase (S. Bühler) marks the completion of the previous life path, and the resolution of this crisis depends on how this path was passed. A person sums up the results, and if he perceives life as a whole, where there is neither subtraction nor addition, then he is balanced and calmly looks into the future, because he understands that death is the natural end of life. If a person comes to the sad conclusion that life was lived in vain and consisted of disappointments and mistakes, now irreparable, then a feeling of powerlessness overtakes him. The fear of death comes.

Psychologists say that the fear of death is a purely human feeling; no other animal has this. That is why it can be overcome. Philosophers, from Plato and Aristotle, sought to overcome the tragedy of death, to free man from the fear of it. The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus gave a simple and witty argument against the fear of death: “Death for a person does not really exist, he does not “encounter” it. As long as he exists, there is no death. When she is there, he is not there. Therefore, you should not be afraid of her.

Francis Bacon remarked on the same occasion: “people fear death, like small children… But the fear of it as an inevitable given of nature is weakness.”

Peck (American psychologist), developing Erikson's ideas about the eighth crisis, talks about the sub-crises of this period.

First- revaluation of one’s own “I”, regardless of professional career. That is, a person must first of all determine for himself what place he occupies in life after retirement, when uniforms, titles and positions are discarded as unnecessary.

Second- awareness of the fact of deteriorating health and aging of the body, when one has to admit that youth, beauty, a slim figure, good health are far in the past. It is more difficult for a man to overcome the first sub-crisis, and for a woman it is more difficult to overcome the second.

Domestic scientist V.V. Boltenko identified a number of stages of psychological aging that do not depend on passport age.

On first stage the connection remains with the type of activity that was leading for the person before retirement. As a rule, this type of activity was directly related to the profession of the pensioner. More often these are people of intellectual work (scientists, artists, teachers, doctors). This connection can be direct in the form of episodic participation in the performance of previous work, or indirect, through reading specialized literature, writing specialized literature, topics. If it ends immediately after retirement, then the person, bypassing the first stage, ends up in the second.

On second stage there is a narrowing of the range of interests due to the fulfillment of professional attachments. Communication with others is already dominated by conversations on everyday topics, discussions of television programs, family events, successes or failures of children and grandchildren. In groups of such people it is already difficult to distinguish who was an engineer, who was a doctor, and who was a professor of philosophy.

On third stage Concern for personal health becomes paramount. Favorite topics for conversation are medications, methods of treatment, herbs... Both in newspapers and in television programs special attention is paid to these topics. The most significant person in life is the local doctor, his professional and personal qualities.

On fourth stage The meaning of life becomes the preservation of life itself. The circle of communication is narrowed to the limit: the attending physician, a social worker, family members who support the personal comfort of the pensioner, neighbors of the closest distance. For decency or out of habit - rare telephone conversations with old acquaintances of the same age, postal correspondence, mainly to find out how many are still left to survive.

And finally, on fifth stage there is a decrease in purely vital needs (food, rest, sleep). Emotionality and communication are almost absent.

One of the founders of Russian psychology B.G. Ananyev explained that the paradox of human life is that for many people, “dying” occurs much earlier than physical decrepitude. This condition is observed in those people who, of their own free will, begin to isolate themselves from society, which leads to “a narrowing of the scope of personal properties, to a deformation of the personality structure.” Compared to long-livers who maintain their personality, “some “beginning” pensioners at 60-65 years old seem immediately decrepit, suffering from the resulting vacuums and a sense of social inferiority. From this age, a dramatic period of personality death begins for them. And the conclusion that the scientist makes: “The sudden blocking of all the potential of a person’s ability to work and talent with the cessation of many years of work cannot but cause profound changes in the structure of a person as a subject of activity, and therefore as an individual.”

Mental aging is diverse, the range of its manifestations is very wide. Let's look at its main types.

In F. Giese’s typology, three types of old people and old age are distinguished:

1) a negative old man who denies any signs of old age;

2) the old man is extroverted, recognizing the onset of old age through external influences and by observing changes (young people have grown up, differences in views with them, death of loved ones, changes in their position in the family, changes-innovations in the field of technology, social life, etc. );

3) an introverted type, which is characterized by an acute experience of the aging process. A person does not show interest in new things, is immersed in memories of the past, is inactive, strives for peace, etc.

I.S. Kohn identifies the following socio-psychological types of old age:

First type- active creative old age, when veterans, retiring for a well-deserved retirement, continue to participate in public life, in educating young people, etc. - live a full life, without experiencing any handicap.

Second type old age is characterized by the fact that pensioners do things for which they simply did not have time before: self-education, recreation, entertainment, etc. Those. This type of old people is also characterized by good social and psychological adaptability, flexibility, adaptation, but the energy is directed mainly towards themselves.

Third type(and these are mostly women) finds the main application of their strength in the family. And since housework is inexhaustible, the women doing it simply have no time to mope and be bored. However, as psychologists note, life satisfaction among this group of people is lower than among the first two.

Fourth type- these are people whose meaning in life is taking care of their own health. Various forms of activity and moral satisfaction are associated with this. At the same time, there is a tendency (more often in men) to exaggerate their real and imaginary illnesses, and increased anxiety.

Along with the identified prosperous types of old age, I.S. Cohn also draws attention to negative types of development:

a) aggressive, old grumblers, dissatisfied with the state of the world around them, criticizing everyone except themselves, lecturing everyone and terrorizing them with endless claims;

b) disappointed in themselves and their own lives, lonely and sad losers, constantly blaming themselves for real and imaginary missed opportunities, thereby making themselves deeply unhappy.

A. Kachkin, a sociologist from Ulyanovsk, gives a rather original interpretation. He divides older people into types depending on the interests that dominate their lives:

1. Family type - aimed only at the family and its well-being.

2. Lonely type. Fullness of life is achieved mainly through communication with oneself, one’s own memories (the option of loneliness together is possible).

3. Creative type. It is not necessary to engage in artistic creativity; this type can realize itself in the garden.

4. Social type - pensioner - social activist, engaged in socially useful affairs and events.

5. The political type fills his life with participation (active or passive) in political life.

6. Religious type.

7. Fading type. A person who could not or did not want to compensate for the former fullness of life with some new activity did not find use for his powers.

8. Sick type.

People of this orientation are busy not so much with maintaining their own health, but with monitoring the course of their illnesses.

Many old people become deviants, i.e. people of deviant behavior (drunkards, tramps, suicides).

2.3 Types of personality adaptation to old age

The classification proposed by D.B. is quite widely supported in the world psychological literature. Bromley. She identifies five types of personality adaptation to old age:

1) A person’s constructive attitude towards old age, in which elderly and old people are internally balanced, have a good mood, and are satisfied with emotional contacts with people around them. They are moderately critical of themselves and at the same time very tolerant of others and their possible shortcomings. They do not dramatize the end of professional activity, have an optimistic attitude towards life, and interpret the possibility of death as a natural event that does not cause sadness or fear. Having not experienced too many traumas and shocks in the past, they show neither aggression nor depression, have lively interests and constant plans for the future. Thanks to their positive life balance, they confidently rely on us for the help of others. The self-esteem of this group of elderly and old people is quite high.

2) Dependency relationship. A dependent personality is a person who is subordinate to someone, dependent on a marital partner or on his child, who does not have too high demands in life and, thanks to this, willingly leaves the professional environment. The family environment provides him with a sense of security, helps him maintain internal harmony, emotional balance, and does not experience hostility or fear.

3) A defensive attitude, which is characterized by exaggerated emotional restraint, some straightforwardness in one’s actions and habits, a desire for “self-sufficiency” and a reluctant acceptance of help from other people. People of this type of adaptation to old age avoid expressing their own opinions and have difficulty sharing their doubts and problems. Sometimes they take a defensive position towards the whole family: even if there are some claims and complaints against the family, they do not express them. The protective mechanism that they use against the feeling of fear of death and deprivation is their activity “through force”, constant “feeding” by external actions. People with a defensive attitude towards advancing old age are very reluctant and only under pressure from others to leave their professional work;

4) Attitude of hostility towards others.

People with this attitude are aggressive, explosive and suspicious, they strive to “shift” the blame and responsibility for their own failures onto other people, and do not quite adequately assess reality. Distrust and suspicion make them withdraw into themselves and avoid contact with other people. They do their best to drive away the thought of retiring, as they use the mechanism of relieving tension through activity. Their life path, as a rule, was accompanied by numerous stresses and failures, many of which turned into nervous diseases. People related to this type attitude towards old age, prone to acute reactions of fear, they do not perceive their old age, and think with despair about the progressive loss of strength. All this is also combined with a hostile attitude towards young people, sometimes with the transfer of this attitude to the entire “new, alien world”. This kind of rebellion against their own old age is combined in these people with a strong fear of death.

5. The attitude of a person’s hostility towards himself.

People of this type avoid memories because they have had many failures and difficulties in their lives. They are passive, do not rebel against their own old age, they only meekly accept what fate sends them. The inability to satisfy the need for love is the cause of depression, self-esteem and sadness. These conditions are associated with a feeling of loneliness and uselessness. Self-aging is assessed quite realistically; The end of life, death, is interpreted by these people as deliverance from suffering.

Psychiatrist M. McCulloch, who was the first to study the influence of animals on the human psyche, as a result of a questionnaire, came to the conclusion that pets make a person calmer, and for some people who have suffered serious mental turmoil, such “four-legged healers” simply need to be prescribed.

The feeling of loneliness is debilitating mental strength a person and thus undermines the physical absence of human contacts, destroys the personality and its social system. “It has been proven by direct experiments,” wrote Academician A.I. Berg, that a person can think normally for a long time only under the condition of continuous information communication with the outside world. Complete information isolation is the beginning of madness. Information that stimulates thinking, communication with the outside world is also necessary, like food and warmth, and, moreover, the presence of those energy fields in which all the life activities of people on the planet take place.”

All the main types of old age presented here, and attitudes towards it, do not exhaust the entire diversity of manifestations of behavior, communication, activities of an aging person, and the diversity of individualities. All classifications are indicative in nature in order to create some basis for specific work with elderly and senile people.

Chapter 3. PREVENTION OF AGING

3.1 The main stressors of elderly and senile people and ways to overcome them

Before determining the prevention of aging, it is necessary to know those stressors that worsen the state of wakefulness of an elderly person.

The main stressors of elderly and senile people can be considered:

Lack of a clear rhythm of life;

Narrowing of the scope of communication;

Retirement from active work;

Empty nest syndrome;

A person's withdrawal into himself;

Feeling of discomfort from a confined space and many other life events and situations.

The most severe stress is loneliness in old age. The person has no relatives, peers, or friends. Loneliness in old age can also be associated with living separately from younger family members. However, more significant in old age are psychological aspects(isolation, self-isolation), reflecting the awareness of loneliness as misunderstanding and indifference on the part of others. Loneliness becomes especially real for a person who lives a long time. The focus, thoughts, and reflections of an old person can be solely on the situation that gave rise to the restriction of the circle of communication. The heterogeneity and complexity of the feeling of loneliness is expressed in the fact that an old man, on the one hand, he feels a growing gap with others, is afraid of a lonely lifestyle; on the other hand, he strives to isolate himself from others, to protect his world and the stability in it from the invasion of outsiders. Practicing gerontologists are constantly faced with facts where complaints about loneliness come from old people living with relatives or children much more often than from old people living alone. One of the very serious reasons for the disruption of connections with others lies in the disruption of connections between old people and young people. It is not uncommon today to call such a phenomenon as gerontophobia, or hostile feelings towards old people.

Many of the stressors of elderly and old people can be prevented or relatively painlessly overcome precisely due to changes in the elderly and the aging process in general. The famous American physician and founder of the Institute of Somatic Research, Thomas Hana, writes: “The glorification of youth is the flip side of hatred of aging... To despise the fact of aging is the same as to despise life. Youth is not a state that needs to be preserved. This is a state that must be preserved and continued. Youth has strength, but it has no skill. But skill and experience are the greatest strength. Youth has speed, but it has no efficiency. But in the end, only efficiency helps to achieve the goal. Youth lacks perseverance. But only perseverance helps you solve complex problems and make the right decisions. Young people have energy and intelligence, but they do not have the ability to make the right decisions or judge correctly how to use these qualities. Youth is filled with genetically programmed desires, but it does not know how to achieve their fulfillment and feel the beauty of what has been achieved. Youth is full of hopes and promises, but it does not have the ability to evaluate their accomplishment and fulfillment.

Youth is the time to sow and cultivate crops, but it is not the time to harvest. Youth is a time of innocence and ignorance, but it is not a time of wisdom and knowledge. Youth is a time of emptiness that is waiting to be filled, it is a time of opportunity that is waiting to be realized, it is a beginning that is waiting to be developed... If we do not understand that life and aging are a process of growth and progress, then we will not understand the basic principles of life..."

3.2 Healthy lifestyle as a factor in longevity

Prevention of aging is the oldest dream of humanity. Eternal youth was a desired dream back in antiquity. History is full of examples of fruitless searches for elixirs of youth, “water of life,” “rejuvenating apples” and other methods that rejuvenate the body.

But on the other hand, it is known that some deliberate systematic attempts to achieve the goal of prolonging life were based to some extent on adequate methods. So, for example, according to Taoism (the religiously organized system of life extension in Ancient China), immortality could be obtained, in addition to other preventive measures, by following a diet containing low-calorie foods of plant origin.

Modern research has shown that a low-calorie diet can indeed significantly prolong life. Hippocrates, Aristotle and other philosophers recommended diets, moderate exercise, massage and water treatments. These methods are certainly useful today for maintaining active longevity.

Ancient naturalists and philosophers saw many of the sources of ill health, the causes of illness and aging in the characters, temperaments, behavior of people, their habits and traditions, i.e. in their conditions and way of life. The Englishman R. Bacon believed that a short life is not the norm, but deviations from it. The main reason for the shortening of life, in his opinion, was the unrighteous and wrong image life.

Another English philosopher F. Bacon was also convinced that bad habits have the greatest influence on the aging process.

Numerous and long-term studies by gerontologists have proven that an irrational lifestyle (physical inactivity, restricted diet, smoking, alcohol abuse) are risk factors for old age.

The great Russian biologist I.I. Mechnikov proposed a method for prolonging life related to his work in the field of microbiology. In his opinion, the main disharmony leading to premature aging is the large intestine, which originally served to digest coarse plant foods, and with a change in the nature of nutrition, it became a kind of incubator for putrefactive bacteria, the metabolic products of which poison the body, thereby reducing life expectancy. In this regard, to increase life expectancy, he proposed consuming fermented milk products (today it is Mechnikov’s yogurt), which improve the activity of putrefactive bacteria.

Another area of ​​life extension was the use of extracts of the sex glands. It was based on the obvious connection between health and sexual activity, i.e. it was believed that stimulation of sexual function could lead to an improvement in life. The famous French physiologist C. Brown-Séquard, who injected himself with extracts from the genital organs of animals, claimed that he looked 30 years younger.

Even more famous in the past is the method of “cell therapy” of the Swiss doctor P. Niehans, who used tissue extracts to rejuvenate tens of thousands of people, including quite famous ones (W. Churchill, S. De Gaulle, K. Adenauer.)

The achievements of modern gerontology have made it possible to expand our understanding of aging as a complex biological process, about social factors influencing its speed and ways to slow it down, about the possibilities of extending human life for years, decades.

The primary causes of aging are molecular in nature. Some scientists believe that aging is genetically programmed and the “wound biological clock” should gradually stop. “Programmed aging” is slowed down by low-calorie nutrition and some drugs (geroprotectors), in particular, peptide bioregulators (thymalin, thymogen, epithalamin).

Geroprotectors (geriatric drugs) are biologically active substances of non-specific general regulatory action. By influencing active metabolic processes at the molecular and cellular level, they normalize metabolism. Activate reduced physiological functions of the body. This explains their universal normalizing effect, providing a significant increase in the biological capabilities of the aging organism, expanding the range of its adaptation, including to the pharmacological stresses of aging. In modern practice, complex vitamin therapy, microelements, hormones, biogenic stimulants-adaptogens (ginseng, Eleutherococcus, etc.) are widely used.

Other scientists believe that aging is caused by genetic damage that occurs faster than cells can repair it. They arise under the influence of electromagnetic radiation (ultraviolet, gamma radiation), alpha radiation (external factors) and as a result of the vital activity of the body itself (internal factors).

This occurs, for example, under the influence of continuous attacks from chemicals known as free radicals. They contain a hydroxyl group (OH) and atomic oxygen (O), which destroy many substances by oxidizing them. Among their victims are lipids, which are part of the membranes of the surrounding body of all cells, proteins and nucleic acids - the material from which genes are “made”.

The healing effect is enhanced by combining colon hydrotherapy with thermotherapy, fasting nutrition and adsorbents. This approach has great promise and, undoubtedly, should occupy its niche in programs for the prevention of human aging.

The human body, as a perfect mechanism, is designed for long-term vitality and life expectancy, which is largely determined by how a person builds it for himself - shortens or prolongs it, how to take care of his health, because... It is health that is the main basis for longevity and an active creative life.

Life expectancy and health depend 50% on the lifestyle that a person creates for himself, 20% on hereditarily determined biological factors, another 20% from external environmental factors, and only 10% from the efforts of medicine.

Medicine cannot guarantee a person’s preservation of absolute health and longevity if he does not have an attitude toward self-preservation behavior and the desire to be healthy and able to work for as long as possible.

A healthy lifestyle is a certain factor of health and longevity, it requires certain efforts from a person, and most people neglect its rules. According to the definition of Academician N.M. Amosova “To be healthy, you need your own efforts, constant and significant. Nothing can replace them."

A healthy lifestyle as a system consists of three main interconnected and interchangeable elements, three cultures:

Cultures of food, cultures of movement and cultures of emotions.

Individual healing methods and procedures will not provide a stable improvement in health, because they do not affect the holistic psychosomatic structure of a person.

1.Nutritional culture and prevention of aging

Poor nutrition is one of the most important risk factors for premature aging.

Today, when, according to gerontologists, human aging in the overwhelming majority occurs according to a pathological premature (accelerated) type, nutritional features characteristic of old and senile age should and must be taken into account in earlier age groups. These features are associated with age-related changes in the digestive system. Premature atrophy leads to a decrease in the functional activity of the glands of the stomach, intestines, as well as large digestive glands - the liver and pancreas. This is expressed in a decrease in the secretion and activity of produced enzymes.

The motility of the gastrointestinal tract and the processes of digestion and absorption in the intestines are also weakened. The deterioration of its activity additionally provokes irrational nutrition in quantitative and qualitative terms. Therefore, compliance with its basic rules will have a pronounced positive effect on health and the prevention of premature aging.

Nutrition should be varied, moderate and meet age needs and energy consumption.

In old age, when energy consumption is limited, the calorie content of food should be 1900-2000 kcal, for men 2200-3000 kcal.

It is advisable to set the diet at least 3-4 times a day, with the last meal 2-3 hours before bedtime. Fatty varieties of wheat and offal rich in cholesterol (liver, brains, udder, caviar) should not be consumed. Vegetables and fruits should be included more widely in the diet. More greens, onions, garlic, parsley, and dill should be consumed.

Every day it is necessary to include seafood and sea fish, canned sea fish in your food. They are distinguished by the most specific content of various microelements, for example, iodine, bromine, fluorine, and thanks to this they are able to compensate for the inadequacy of our diet.

Unfortunately, many people today cannot afford to eat properly. Due to the high cost of products, you can try to solve the problem of unbalanced nutrition by additionally using dietary supplements.

The appearance of biologically active substances as a means of preventing aging, from the point of view of gerontologists, is justified and caused by the fact that the state of actual nutrition of the Russian population is characterized by a significant deviation in the level of consumption of food ingredients.

2. Movement culture

Only aerobic physical exercise (walking, jogging, swimming, skiing, gardening, etc.) has a healing effect.

Age-related changes in the body are physiologically inevitable, but every person is capable of delaying them. To do this, from the age of 40 you need to start fighting for your health and maintaining active longevity.

Insufficient physical activity is a risk factor for premature aging and disease development.

For those who lead a sedentary lifestyle, the signs of approaching old age appear much earlier and worsen every day, manifested by an increasing depletion of physical and intellectual strength.

Movement is food for the muscle half of our body. Without this food, the muscles atrophy; regular, varied and prolonged movement is a biological imperative, disobedience to which entails not only flabby and disgusting bodily forms, but also hundreds of serious diseases.

Human organs have a large reserve of functions. Only 35% of his absolute capabilities are involved in normal daily activities. The remaining 65% will atrophy without training and reserves will be lost. This is the road to maladjustment. If you do not engage in physical training, then the cardiovascular and respiratory systems begin to age from the age of 12-13. Intense physical training must be included in the mandatory daily regimen no later than 30 years. It is from this age that modern humans begin to experience a particularly rapid decline in functions and the aging of all basic life support systems.

A sedentary lifestyle leads to a general metabolic disorder: accelerated excretion of nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, calcium. Due to a decrease in the excursion of the chest, diaphragm and abdominal wall, the preconditions are created for diseases of the respiratory, digestive and genitourinary systems.

In people with a sedentary lifestyle, along with a decrease in physical performance, resistance to extreme influences decreases - cold, heat, oxygen starvation, the immune system is weakened and disoriented. A healthy immune system, supported by systematic movement, is ready to fight even cancer cells.

Long-term insufficient muscle activity, which has caused significant changes at all levels of the body’s vital activity, can lead to a complex of persistent disorders - hypokinetic diseases. Attention and memory weaken, drowsiness, lethargy, insomnia appear, general mental activity decreases, mood drops, appetite worsens, and the person becomes irritable. Coordination of movements is gradually disturbed, the chest becomes narrow and sunken, stoop, spinal diseases, chronic colitis, hemorrhoids, gallstones and kidney stones appear, muscle and vascular tone decreases and vice versa, active movement has a beneficial effect on the mental component of health.

During muscle work, endorphins are released into the blood - hormones that reduce pain and improve well-being and mood. The level of enkefamins, which have a beneficial effect on the processes of the central nervous system, mental processes and functions, also increases.

Endorphins and enkephamines help overcome depression, find peace of mind, create a good mood and even a state of physical and spiritual spirituality, called euphoria by the ancient Romans.

Thus, movement is the most important natural factor in the development and maintenance of a healthy body.

3. Culture of emotions

If we proceed not from biological, but from socio-psychological ideas about the disease, then it can be considered as a mental breakdown, mental disadaptation, disintegration of personality, human feelings, psychological attitudes, psychosomatic disintegration.

The eminent modern pathologist Hans Selye viewed disease solely as pathological stress or distress.

Negative emotions (envy, fear, etc.) have enormous destructive power, while positive emotions (laughter, joy, love, gratitude, etc.) maintain health, contribute to success and prolongation of life.

Harmful to the body negative emotions: suppressed anger gnaws at the liver and small intestine, fear leaves traces in the kidneys and large intestine. The combination of emotions in fusion with a person’s unconscious and conscious relationships is nothing more than feelings that lead along the roads of health and illness, preserve youth for an elderly person or prematurely turn a young person into an old man.

Thoughts correspond to emotions, forming a certain unity; An angry person has angry thoughts. If a person is gripped by fear, other emotions are blocked, and there is also fear in his thoughts. Unpleasant thoughts push a person along the path of illness.

Emotions determine our mood - not as bright as the emotions themselves, but a more stable emotional state. A sad, anxious, peaceful, solemn or cheerful mood is not an objective, specially targeted one, but a personal and “resultative” background emotional state. The sensual basis of mood is often formed by the tone of vital activity, i.e. general condition of the body or well-being. Even the most wonderful mood “spoils” due to fatigue, headaches, and energy exhaustion. Therefore, good physical shape and excellent physical health are the basis good mood and positive emotions.

Effective recovery is unthinkable without achieving mental health. A person with a depleted nervous system experiences spiritual and physical fatigue. He tries to stimulate himself with willpower, then fights fatigue with the help of stimulants that are harmful to health: tea, coffee, alcohol.

Is it possible to prevent such a “gray” life? Not only is it possible, but it is also necessary. To do this you need:

1. take control of your mood;

2. reduce your sensitivity to other people's words;

3. try to put an end to hatred, bitterness, and envy forever, which weaken the nervous system like nothing else;

4. part with anxiety, which reduces the nervous system;

5. do not accept indifferently any blows of fate, do not put up with poverty and do not mark time;

6. do not complain to others, trying to arouse their sympathy and self-pity;

7. do not try to “remake” others in your own way;

8. do not make grandiose long-term plans;

9. turn the strengthening of vitality and health into a real, major prospect and daily rejoice at the slightest success in achieving it.

The advice of long-livers in the Caucasus is also useful. Eat big Book American Paula Garb's "Centenarians", which is referred to by psychologist Abramova G.S. and she gives the following secrets of longevity:

Old people, including those over 90, talk daily with relatives and closest neighbors, and meet with their friends at least once a week. The purpose of the general part of the conversations between young and middle-aged people with old people is to receive advice on important issues of everyday life;

Old people in Abkhazia are highly respected, which strengthens their strong sense of self-esteem;

The desire to be healthy, lack of the habit of complaining about illnesses, lack of interest in illnesses (it is known that self-assessment of the possibilities of one’s own death is a result of depression or other emotional complications);

The elderly of Abkhazia do not show signs of depression, which is often the cause of senile insanity;

Old people of Abkhazia do not experience loneliness; they feel cared for by relatives and neighbors every day. Everyone is convinced that the best medicine is the love and care of others;

Diversity of interests, desire to live life to the fullest;

These are people with a special sense of humor, a desire to always be surrounded by other people;

The elderly are taken care of, this is a natural manifestation of the philosophy of life;

Friendly and hospitable attitude towards people of other nationalities;

Centenarians tend to perceive everything that happens in their lives as the result of their own actions, and not of someone else. external forces; it refers to the ability to overcome the stresses of life. Long-livers are most often individuals who take responsibility for everything that happens to them, feeling like masters of their destiny;

In Abkhazia, not a single old man spoke clearly and sharply negatively about old age. In Abkhazia, it is impossible to commit a crime against it, just as it is impossible to imagine an old man as a criminal.

Thus, the road to healthy old age, to active longevity is a moral, spiritual transformation of each of us, which professes the eternal ideals of truth and goodness.

CONCLUSION

Thus, at the conclusion of this study, based on the materials studied and based on the goals and objectives set in the work, the following conclusions can be drawn:

1. Old age is the final phase in human development. The period of gerontogenesis (ageing period), according to the international classification, begins at 60 years for men and 55 years for women and has three gradations: elderly, senile and centenarians.

2.The aging process is a genetically programmed process, accompanied by certain age-related changes in the body. Many studies indicate aging of the cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, nervous and other systems, i.e. about the negative changes occurring in the body during the process of involution.

3. All changes during aging are individual in nature. The complex and contradictory nature of human aging as an individual is associated with quantitative changes and qualitative restructuring of biological structures, including neoplasms.

4. The period of late ontogenesis is a new stage in the development and specific action of the general laws of ontogenesis, heterochrony and structure formation.

5. Various kinds of changes in a person as an individual that occur in old age and senility are aimed at updating the potential, reserve capabilities accumulated in the body during the period of growth, maturity and formed during late ontogenesis. At the same time, the participation of the individual in the preservation of the individual organization and the regulation of its further development during the period of gerontogenesis (including the possibility of neoplasms) should be strengthened.

6. There are various ways to increase the biological activity of various structures of the body (polarization, redundancy, compensation, design), which ensure its overall performance after the end of the reproductive period.

7. For the psychological portrait of an old person, the characteristic features are self-centeredness and selfishness. I.S. Cohn identified the following socio-psychological types of old age:

1) active creative old age;

2) self-education, recreation, entertainment;

3) for women - the application of their strength in the family;

4) people whose purpose is to take care of their own health.

These are all favorable types of old age.

Negative types of development of old age:

a) aggressive, grumpy;

b) disappointed in themselves and their own lives;

c) disappointed in themselves and their own lives.

8. There are five types of adaptation to old age:

1) a person’s constructive attitude towards old age;

2) relationship of dependence;

3) defensive attitude;

4) attitude of hostility towards others;

5) the attitude of a person’s hostility towards himself.

9. The active longevity of an elderly person is facilitated by many factors, the leading psychological ones among which can be considered the following: his development as a socially active person, as a subject of creative activity and a bright individuality. And here a high level of self-organization, conscious self-regulation of one’s lifestyle and activity plays a huge role.

LIST OF SOURCES:

1. Abramova G.S. Developmental psychology: Proc. manual for university students. - 4th ed. - M.: Academic. Project, 2003

2. Amosov N.M., Encyclopedia of Amosov: thoughts about health / I.M. Amosov.- M.: Iz-vo AST, 2005

3. Ananyev B.G. Selected psychological works: In 2 volumes - M., 1980

4. Ananyev B.G. Man as an object of knowledge. - L., 1968

3. Bacon F. Works: in 2 volumes / Subbotina. - 2nd ed. - M.: Mysl, 1977

5. Gamezo M.V., Gerasimova V.S., Gorelova G.G. Developmental psychology: personality from youth to old age.: Textbook.- M.: Pedagogical Society of Russia, Ed. House "Noosphere", 1999

6. Garb P. “Long-livers.” - M.: Progress, 1986

7.Kon I.S. In search of oneself: personality and its self-awareness. - M.: Politizdat, 1984

8. Kon I.S. Constancy of personality: myth or reality?/ In the book: Reader on psychology./ Comp. V.V. Mironenko. Ed. A.V. Petrovsky. - M., 1987

9. Mechnikov I.I., Sketches about human nature. M. From Acad. Sciences USSR, 1961

10. Hana T. The art of not growing old. (How to restore flexibility and health). Translation from English - St. Petersburg: 1996

11. Kholostova E.I., Rubtsov A.V. Social gerontology: Textbook. - M.: Publishing House Trading Corporation "Dashkov and K", 2005

12. Shakhmatov N.F. Mental aging. - M., 1996

13.Eidemiller E.G., Justitsky V. Family psychotherapy.-L., 1990

14. Yatsemirskaya R.S. Social gerontology: Textbook.-M.: Humanit. Ed. VLADOS center, 1999

Yatsemirskaya R.S. Social gerontology: Proc. manual.- M.: Humanit. Ed. VLADOS center, 1999. P. 85

Shakhmatov N.F. Mental aging. M., 1996

Gamezo M.V., Gerasimova V.S., Gorelova G.G., Orlova L.M., Developmental psychology: personality from youth to old age: Textbook. - M.: Pedagogical Society of Russia, Ed. House "Noosphere", 1999. P. 50

Abramova G.S. Developmental psychology: A textbook for university students. - 4th ed. - M.: Academic Project, 2003. P.670

Amosov N.M. Encyclopedia of Amosov: thoughts about health./ I.M. Amosov.- M.: Iz-vo AST, 2005

P. Garb. “Long-livers.” - M.: Progress, 1986

Unfortunately, not many people understand that the actions and reactions of an elderly person should be assessed taking into account their age, and that different age groups have different values.

Changes in the character of an elderly person are explained by weakening control over one’s own reactions; perhaps those traits that were previously able to be masked due to their unattractiveness have come to the surface.

In addition, this age is characterized egocentrism, intolerance towards anyone who does not show due attention, and “due” attention at the highest level. Everyone around them is considered selfish, as long as they are not absorbed in caring for the old person. As the saying goes: “An egoist is someone who loves himself more than me.” This is one of the first obstacles that a social worker faces when trying to find mutual understanding with a ward.

These changes can be divided into three areas.

In intellectual Difficulties arise in acquiring new knowledge and ideas, in adapting to unforeseen circumstances. A variety of circumstances can turn out to be difficult: those that were relatively easy to overcome in your youth (moving to a new apartment, illness - your own or someone close to you), especially those that have not been encountered before (the death of a spouse, limited mobility, bathroom paralysis; complete or partial loss of vision).

IN emotional sphere - uncontrolled increase in affective reactions (strong nervous excitement), with a tendency to causeless sadness and tearfulness. The reason for the reaction may be a movie about past times (not because you feel sorry for these times, but because you feel sorry for yourself in these times) or a broken tea cup (and again, it’s not the cup that you feel sorry for, but the fact that something memorable goes with it). In moral sphere - refusal to adapt to new moral norms and behavior patterns. A sharp criticism of these norms and manners, reaching the point of rudeness. This is where intolerance arises in relations with young people.

And yet, noticing all the changes in various characterological areas, the social worker simply does not have the right to act as a judge or teacher who condemns certain actions or statements. You cannot transfer methods of communicating with children to old people; these people have a long life behind them with their ups and downs, which determined the changes that occurred in their characters. Older people have their own subculture, belonging to their generation, different from the culture that is characteristic of young people. It is fundamentally important that the ward trusts the social worker and is confident that his statements will not be criticized. Criticism can be perceived by an older person as humiliation and destroy the atmosphere of trusting relationships.

Old age is a kind of psychological crisis.

But this is not the only crisis experienced by a person throughout his life, but one of many. American psychologist Erik Erikson named eight psychosocial crises that a person faces along the path of life. Each of them is specific for a certain age.

Eighth crisis - this is a crisis of old age. We will talk about it in more detail. People enter old age differently, depending on how they emerged from the previous seven psychosocial crises.

In her theory of human development, French psychologist Charlotte Buhler identifies five phases of development; the last, fifth, phase begins at 65-70 years. The author believes that during this period many people stop pursuing the goals that they set for themselves in their youth. They spend their remaining energy on leisure, living out their last years in peace.

At the same time, they review their lives, experiencing satisfaction or disappointment.

A neurotic person usually experiences disappointment, because a neurotic person generally does not know how to enjoy success, he is never satisfied with his achievements, it always seems to him that he did not receive something, that he was not given something. As we get older, these doubts intensify.

Let’s remember Firs’ last line from Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard”: “They forgot about me... Life has passed, as if I never lived... I don’t have strength, I don’t have anything left... Eh, you... klutz!”

Eighth crisis (E. Erickson) or fifth phase (Sh. Bu-ler) mark the completion of the previous life path, and the resolution of this crisis depends on how this path was passed. A person sums things up, and if he perceives life as a whole, where there is neither subtraction nor addition, then he is balanced and calmly looks into the future, because he understands that death is the natural end of life. We must not forget, do not take into account that for an old person the prospect of death is so close that it becomes, in the literal sense, physically palpable. The thought of the inevitability of imminent death causes depression, and the latter, in turn, causes irritability, outbursts of anger, even aggression, or, on the contrary, apathy. It is difficult for a social worker, who is always many years younger than the ward, to understand such a state and mood of an old person.

The prospect of death for an elderly person is very real, this is a difficult and painful area, it is quite difficult for a person of mature age to understand this feeling, because for him such a problem, for the time being, simply does not exist. When communicating with a person, you should not make a sad face and utter a lot of pitiful phrases; this approach does not calm the person, but, on the contrary, stimulates new sad memories and experiences. Compassion should not “rub salt into the wounds” with inappropriate questions.

That is why empathy is so important - an integral quality of a social worker. Probably, in order to get morally “closer” to the client, one must remember one’s own state in the event of losses that are not necessarily associated with death. The task of a social worker, if not to inspire optimism, then at least, as far as possible, is to level out pessimism.

Domestic scientist V.V. Boltenko identified a number of stages of psychological aging, which, in principle, are little dependent on a specific passport age. More important than this age is the time of retirement.

At the first stage the connection remains with the type of activity that was leading for the person before retirement. As a rule, this type of activity was directly related to the profession of the pensioner. More often these are people of intellectual work (scientists, artists, teachers, doctors). This connection can be direct, in the form of episodic participation in previous work, or indirect, through reading specialized literature, writing articles on professional topics. If the connection is severed immediately after retirement, then the person, bypassing the first stage, ends up in the second.

At the second stage There is a narrowing of the circle of interests due to the loss of professional attachments. Communication with others is already dominated by conversations on everyday topics, discussions of television news, family events, successes or failures of children and grandchildren. In these groups of people it is already difficult to distinguish who was an engineer, who was a doctor, who was a professor of philosophy.

At the third stage Concern for personal health becomes paramount. Favorite topics of conversation are medications, methods of treatment, herbs... Both in newspapers and in television programs special attention is paid to these topics. The most significant person in life becomes the local doctor, his professional and personal qualities.

At the fourth stage the meaning of life becomes the preservation of life itself. The circle of communication is narrowed to the limit: the attending physician, a social worker, family members who support the personal comfort of the pensioner, neighbors of the closest distance. For decency or out of habit - rare telephone conversations with old acquaintances of the same age, mainly to find out how many others have survived.

On fifth stage there is an exposure of needs of a purely vital nature (food, peace, sleep). Emotionality and communication are almost absent.

In gerontology the term is often used “involution” (reverse development) to designate the processes of physical and psychological atrophy during aging.

American psychologist A. Maslow created the theory of the hierarchy of needs and self-realization, which he came to by studying the biographies of great people. According to Maslow, a person, as it were, rises up the steps, from physiological needs - to the needs for safety and self-preservation, from here - to the needs for love and recognition, higher - for self-esteem and, finally, the top - the need for self-actualization. Each era sets its own height for such a peak. And just as climbers choose different peaks to climb, so in life each person has his own choice of peaks. Not everyone manages to reach the top steps in their entire life, but old age sets in and you have to go down the stairs. Happy are those who have conquered the summit! At the same time, retirement is not yet a signal to descend. When climbing, speed is important, and when descending, on the contrary, braking is important; the longer a person lingers on each step during the descent, the more prosperous his position is.

Many people equate leisure with doing nothing, and this is their mistake. The American Psychological Society, in a special report devoted to the problems of employment and forced idleness of old people, argues that the lack of activities among people who have retired is most directly related to their separation from society. It is a mistake to assume that the well-being and prospects of old people are determined by leisure, by which they mean freedom from occupations or responsibilities.

Unemployment occurs in old people as a result of a decrease in vital activity and energy. Society can free a person from obligations, but not in relation to himself. In this case, external social factors of behavior fade into the background for the old person, and his own internal needs come to the fore.

No matter what level of the hierarchical ladder, high or low, an elderly person is, he is constantly pursued by a gloomy griffin, piercing his claws into his very soul. The name of this monster is "uselessness".

You can select male and female behavior types in conditions of loss of “own consumer value”, when a person finds himself unclaimed. But what does not mean that all men behave according to the “masculine” type, and women behave according to the “feminine” type, sometimes it happens, as at masquerade balls: women acquire a “masculine” type, men - a “feminine” "

Most women cope with their own uselessness with their humility and resourcefulness. Family women hide from her in the endless chores of household chores. Lonely people unite to become useful to each other and defend themselves collectively. Men, on the other hand, engage in desperate confrontation and often seek salvation in other phantoms and ghosts, which are supposedly capable of proving their usefulness. For an ordinary pensioner, such a ghostly argument for the expediency of existence can be the receipt of a certificate - either from the house management, or from the Society for the Protection of Cats from Dogs. They assert themselves by finding fault with their families, speaking at meetings, and if there are no meetings, then shouting at rallies, or, in extreme cases, on a tram. Another “male” way to demonstrate their “unfading youth” is women.

The population of the wards of social assistance centers, these islands for singles, is represented mainly by women, which, in general, is quite understandable given the difference in life expectancy between men and women that exists in our country. Another surprising observation is that widowed men experience their condition much more strongly than women. And the point is not that it is easier for a man to get rid of loneliness by entering into a new union, but that we are accustomed to consider men less emotional, more restrained in their feelings, etc.

The question, of course, is not a question of emotional disposition, but of the ability to adapt. Men find it more difficult to adapt to the new condition. Losing a job or retiring for them is sometimes no less a mental trauma than the loss of a spouse, no matter how blasphemous it sounds. The difference in the life expectancy of men and women implicitly prepares a woman for a widow's share, for joining the community of widows. A widower man is a rare phenomenon; he, like a bird with one wing, is completely unsuited to life. The only way out of the situation (not counting the possibility of entering into a new marriage) is to accept women's rules of behavior. Women usually compensate for the loss by directing all their attention, all their sensuality to their children. Among male widowers, those who have a daughter and the opportunity to join her family adapt more easily. A grandfather, who previously had difficulty distinguishing the purpose of a diaper from an oilcloth, can become an excellent nanny for his beloved grandchildren.

One of the aspects of the professional characteristics of a social worker is the presence of initial medical training. A social worker cannot and should not replace a doctor, but he must have a basic understanding of the nature of various diseases, methods of preventing them, methods of caring for a sick person - everything that can alleviate the patient’s situation. He must guide the client which specialist doctor should be contacted regarding a particular ailment. All this becomes especially relevant when working with older people.

Unfortunately, older people themselves are ready to attribute many painful sensations to age and therefore often turn to a doctor when the disease is already advanced. It is possible that with a more widespread network of social assistance, social workers will more actively “push” their clients to preventive examinations.

Suspiciousness is sometimes a manifestation of obsessive states, when a person himself realizes the absurdity of his fears, but cannot get rid of them. Moreover, such a condition is not necessarily a symptom of a disease; fears can haunt even a completely healthy person; in psychiatry they are called "phobias". A special group consists of nosophobia− obsessive fear of some disease. Naturally, such fears are more common among older people: they suddenly discover signs of a disease from which their parents or one of their close relatives died. The fear of heart disease is called cardiophobia, oncological − cancerophobia. Perhaps we should introduce the concept speedophobia. Fear of death in general - thanatophobia. A psychologist or social worker who knows psychological tools can help in getting rid of such fears.

However, if a person is convinced (or has been convinced) that all health problems are explained by old age, then he is unlikely to have a desire to undergo treatment. Even Seneca, the ancient philosopher, said: “One of the conditions for recovery is the desire to get well.”

I would like to draw attention to one sad sign of our difficult times. Due to the destabilization of life, the abundance of stressful situations, the deterioration of living conditions and environmental ill-being, an acceleration of the aging process is noted; pathologies inherent in older age are detected at more early stages, on the distant approaches to old age. Unfortunately, many health problems apply not only to elderly people, but also to middle-aged people.

Relatives of an elderly person simply must know about possible senile psychoses and dementia. A social worker should talk about mental pathologies of old age and explain them. This knowledge will help you be kind and tolerant of the misfortune of relatives and strangers who have experienced your own mind. Also in “Do-mostroye” it is said: “If... a father or mother becomes poor in reason in old age, do not dishonor them, do not reproach them, then your children will honor you.” In no case does a social worker have the right to take upon himself the making of a particular diagnosis; his responsibility is to invite a specialist.

One of the founders of Russian psychology, B. G. Ananyev , explained that the paradox of human life lies in the fact that for many people “dying” occurs much earlier than physical decrepitude. This condition is observed in those people who, of their own free will, begin to isolate themselves from society, which leads to “narrowing the scope of personal properties, leading to deformation of the personality structure.” Compared to centenarians who retain their personality, “Some “beginning” pensioners at the age of 60-65 seem immediately decrepit, suffering from the resulting vacuum and a feeling of social inferiority.” From this age a dramatic period begins for them dying of personality.

And the conclusion that the scientist makes: “The sudden blocking of all the potential of a person’s ability to work and talent with the cessation of many years of work cannot but cause deep restructuring in the structure of a person as a subject of activity, and therefore as an individual.”

A person living alone and a lonely person are far from the same thing. On the contrary, a person living in a large family or in a crowded dormitory may be lonely and suffering from loneliness. These are the so-called “loneliness in the family” and “loneliness in the crowd.” In addition, introverts love silence and solitude, they feel the need to be alone with themselves after they had to be in public, they are annoyed by people who are too sociable (extroverts). Consequently, not all lonely people suffer; a certain type of people protects and cherishes their isolation.

Loneliness, as psychologists say, is not measured by the distance separating one person from another, it is determined by the presence or absence of “ soul mate" Moreover, this is not necessarily the person who always says “yes” to you.

It has become a kind of cliche to add the definition “lonely” to the word “old people.” Student interns of the Russian State Social University (RGSU), examining those attached to social assistance centers (as we know, these are exclusively lonely people), did not meet anyone who admitted that they suffered from loneliness. How do you explain this phenomenon? Most likely, such a confession seemed shameful to the old people. Moreover, telling “children” about this (and this is how older people perceive students) would be completely unacceptable. But most respondents were certainly sincere.

The social worker, as a professional, is obliged to guarantee complete confidentiality to the ward, and under no circumstances make intimately received information a subject for discussion with other clients.

There is another way to alleviate loneliness. This is communication with animals.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania claim that pet owners are “humanizing” their pets. According to scientists, this has a positive effect on a person’s self-esteem and, ultimately, on his health. It is believed that such communication reduces the risk of heart attacks. According to the study, 94% talk to animals “like a person,” and 81% are convinced that their pets understand them and feel the mood of their owners.

Psychiatrist M. McCulloch, who was the first to study the influence of animals on the human psyche, as a result of a questionnaire, came to the conclusion that pets make a person calmer and more balanced, and for some people who have suffered serious mental turmoil, such “four-legged healers” “It just needs to be assigned. However, you need to know when to stop, since some elderly people have so many cats or dogs that it becomes more of a mental disorder. Most often, these are people who are disillusioned with human communication. That's why they tender love towards animals is combined with hostility towards people.

Aging, like loneliness, is an identification of the feelings a person experiences towards himself. They manifest themselves in different ways: in an emphatically shuffling gait, in clothing, in self-deprecating remarks such as: “I hate looking in the mirror, I see an old monkey there.” It depends on the elderly person himself to what extent he is captured by these feelings, how strongly he submits to them, and whether they become stronger than all other human feelings.

Erotic feelings(not to be confused with sexual ones!) force both men and women to take care of their appearance, to maintain sexual individuality and attractiveness, masculinity or femininity. Chichikov, seeing Plyushkin, could not understand who was in front of him, and mistook the old man for a woman. A real man, even in his dying hour, will try to be thoroughly shaven. Actress Lyubov Orlova asked to be buried in her favorite dress, because she looks good in it.

Self-esteem Even in old age, it requires you to independently cope with all matters and thus defend your independence. Such a person, as long as he has at least some strength, does not seek anyone’s support or help, he tries to be useful and necessary to someone.

Love , The strongest of all feelings, be it love for a spouse, children, grandchildren, other people, relatives by blood or spirit, postpones aging, relieves loneliness, and gives mental and physical strength.

And even in the very feeling of aging there is not only bitterness, but also charm. It is given to experience only to those who have passed through all life's trials with honor and lived to old age. Sage of antiquity Seneca , by the standards of his time, he was a long-liver (he lived for 70 years), and he assured with knowledge of the matter: “Old age is full of pleasures, you just need to know how to use them.”

English word "stress" means pressure, pressure, tension. Stress is a disease that everyone experiences, therefore, it is no longer a disease, but a characteristic feature of the well-being of people of the 20th century.

The discoverer of stress is called Hans Selye, a world-famous biologist who is the founder and first director of the International Institute of Stress.

Any overwork is stress, and it does not matter to the body whether it is caused by success or failure. The body reacts stereotypically, with the same biochemical changes, "whose purpose,- writes Selye, - cope with the increased demands on the human machine" . It would be naive to believe that there was a stress-free time in the past. Naturally, there were blows and gifts of fate. But it was the 20th century. made tension a system and everyday life. The human machine cannot withstand it and begins to malfunction, or even breaks down altogether.

Stress manifests itself in the psyche and physiology as a response to increased irritation. The human immune system resists the possibility of infection of the body, protects it from other diseases, but it has long been noticed that in touchy people (and they are more easily susceptible to stress) the immune response is reduced. The attention of older people should be paid to this feature, because at this age people suffer from increased sensitivity.

Persuasion type “don’t worry...”, “don’t be upset...” are ineffective and tantamount to calls: “Adrenaline, don’t stand out!”, “Pressure, don’t increase!” For a neurotic person, and among pensioners their percentage is quite large, these remarks themselves are already perceived as a signal of stress. For our pensioner, stress can arise from the sound of words “pension”, “rent”, “robbery” and many others. Participants in the war, if they actually participated in combat operations, do not like to return to the memories of this time or watch films about the war.

They instinctively fear stress, even those who have never heard of it. Here are quotes from Svetlana Alexievich’s passionate and truthful book “War Has an Unwomanly Face.”

“When I tell you everything that happened, I will again not be able to live like everyone else. I'll become sick. I came back from the war alive, only wounded, but I was sick for a long time, I was sick until I told myself that I had to forget all this, or I would never recover.”(Lyubov Zakharovna Novik, foreman, rank of instructor).

“No, no, I don’t want to remember... My nerves are going nowhere. I still can’t watch war films...”(Maria Ivanovna Morozova, corporal, sniper).

Trio stress− symptom− disease is in close interaction and has the ability to inter-transform. At the same time, not every stress is a precursor to illness, just as not every serving of ice cream is followed by a sore throat. It all depends on the general state of health, on the body’s readiness to fight and win. Stress itself has both physical and emotional signs, which can also turn into illness.

Insomnia, pain in the chest, stomach, back, neck, chronic fatigue are physical symptoms, and irritability, frequent tears and causeless panic are emotional. Stress changes a person’s behavior and causes abuse of alcohol, smoking, and medications.

By the end of the day, an elderly person sometimes accumulates such irritation and unresolved stress that as soon as he dims the light, he sees the faces of a cheating saleswoman, a rude passerby, a sarcastic neighbor, or something even worse.

Such a person should be advised to learn to enjoy his own restraint: “I was deceived, offended, rude, bitten, but I just smiled and did not react, but saved my nerves and maintained normal blood pressure. I'm done!". Such “complacency” − the right way protect yourself from insomnia. Hundreds of small skirmishes unsettle you much more than one major trouble. If you mentally, or better yet in writing, identify the reasons that have such a bad effect and prevent you from falling asleep, put all these nasty little things separately, on shelves, then it will turn out that each of them in itself is not worth a damn and, even more so - a sleepless night.

Insomnia, like the weather, often becomes a topic for starting a conversation among older people; they even take pride in it, like a special mark, and try to outdo each other in who has it stronger. It can even cause conflict between an elderly couple over who stayed up the longest last night. Insomnia can explain bad mood, grouchiness, inattention, absent-mindedness, and one can evade performing some duties. Insomnia is “very intelligent”, not like any disease. It’s decent to talk about insomnia at the table and on the bench - such is the coquetry of an old man. Psychologists call this phenomenon of using unpleasantness to one’s advantage "secondary benefit".

So, to defeat insomnia, you need to defeat yourself: adherence to a routine, an active physical and mental lifestyle, giving up bad habits and a caring (even reverent) attitude towards your own sleep.

In order to identify the causes and consequences of stress, they need to hire themselves as “private detectives” for some time and carefully monitor (and write down) what events and even thoughts cause stress, and record all its signs. All this is purely individual, because another person may have completely different reactions. Having compiled a “dossier”, you can begin to fight, guided by the fact that any disease is easier to prevent than to defeat. That is why the Scripture says: “Get a doctor before you get sick”(Sir. 18, 19).

Another feature of the appearance and influence of stress: it occurs more often in women than in men, but women cope with it more easily and quickly adapt to its effects. Some experts believe that the secret of such endurance of the fairer sex is that they know how to discharge their emotions with tears, or even hysterics. Men are told to always be strong and crying is considered a sign of weakness. Women can cry and this is a subconscious way of relieving unbearable tension.

Tears, according to scientists, contain not only ions of sodium, potassium and other salts, but also an excess of adrenaline, which, as is known, causes constriction of most blood vessels, increases heart contractions, changes the heart rate, and increases blood pressure. tion. Consequently, women, giving free rein to their emotions, instinctively protect themselves from serious troubles provoked by stress.

With all this, women themselves often act as “virus carriers” of stress. Stress is as contagious as the flu. If one family member gets sick, he can spread it to the whole family. Especially dangerous in this regard are those who constantly work with a large number of people: saleswomen, transport drivers, teachers and others. There is a deep meaning in the old story that the whole family can relax and improve their health with one sanatorium voucher, sending the eldest representative of the family on it. This is not necessarily a mother-in-law: mothers-in-law are not much inferior to them in spreading stress.

By the way, don’t forget that jokes and humor are the masters of a good mood and one of the most powerful cures for stress. People who lack a sense of humor suffer from stress much more often and more severely than those who are always ready to laugh at themselves, their troubles and ailments.

In his book Laughter is a Serious Matter, philosopher John Morrill explains this phenomenon: “A person with a sense of humor does not feel calmer in a stressful situation, he just has a flexible approach to resolving it.”

Another famous philosopher and writer, Arthur Kessler, who did not consider laughter a serious matter, meanwhile wrote: “The only function of laughter is simply to relieve tension.”

Danish scientist Karl Rodahl stated: “Three minutes of laughter replaces fifteen minutes of gymnastics.”

Elderly people should diligently avoid sad people, depressing movies, and gloomy novels. To maintain health and vigor, comedy films, jokes, comedians and cheerful interlocutors are much more useful. The superiority of women's life expectancy over men's is explained not only by the fact that women can cry, but also by the fact that they laugh more often than men. The great French writer Stendhal came to a similar conclusion: "Laughter kills old age."

Sometimes one gets the impression of absolute incompatibility between older and younger people.

This problem needs to be discussed so that different generations can understand each other, and old people can understand themselves. More than once I have read in foreign novels and seen in films that, starting from middle age, wealthy people always use the services of psychologists and psychoanalysts, whom they turn to whenever they encounter difficult life situations. Psychological consultants strive to understand the client, help him see himself from the best side and realize his worth as an individual. The difficulty of social work with elderly and old people is that little can be taught to a person at that age; the task comes down to helping him discover in himself vitality and reserves for a dignified meeting of one’s own old age.

The theory of social work describes in detail the methodology, technique, and psychology of the worker’s activities and is silent about the norms of client behavior, as if we are talking about a complete “fool.” The International Federation of Social Workers has developed a Code of Ethics for itself, but there is not a word in it about the ethics of the so-called “ward”.

Without pretending to compile a client Code of Ethics, we will try to formulate the meaning of some provisions.

When concluding a service agreement, the client must assure the Center that he has observed approximately the following points of behavior:

Respect for the personality of the social worker, understanding that this is not a housekeeper, not a servant, but an authorized representative of the state, extending a helping hand to a person in a difficult situation.

The client makes efforts to implement the professional recommendations of the social worker and other employees of the Center. The client follows a healthy lifestyle, the regimen prescribed to him and the rules of hygienic culture.

The client’s wishes must correspond to the employee’s physical capabilities and in no case go beyond the scope of the job description by presenting exorbitant demands.

The client should, to the extent possible, for his own benefit, try to complete as much self-care work as possible. There is an ancient wise parable: “The doctor said to the patient:

− Look: there are three of us− me, you and the disease. Therefore, if you are on my side, it will be easier for the two of us to defeat one. But if you go over to her side, I alone will not be able to defeat both of you.” The same parable can be an analogue of the relationship between a social worker and a client . The social worker, in turn, does not resort to overprotection and excludes the very possibility of a paternalism complex.

The client categorically avoids the command-imperative style of behavior, which sharply worsens psychological climate relationship, which is created on the basis of cooperation, the goal of both participants in the relationship, their business union is the rehabilitation of the client. Compliance with instructions for the social worker and rules of conduct for the client will eliminate or reduce the likelihood of possible conflicts.

Features of the elderly

From this article you will learn:

What is hidden under the phrase “features of older people”

What are the different types of old age?

How do people feel about aging?

What are the psychological and physiological characteristics of people in old age?

Which social problems surrounded by elderly people

Features of old age, as one of the most difficult periods of life, are associated with the gradual decline of physiological and social functions, which affects the physical and psychological state. In order to provide “favorable” conditions for comfortable aging, a clear understanding of the age-related characteristics of an elderly person is necessary.

What are the different types of old age?

The first type are people who, despite separation from active professional activity, take part in social processes, the life of society. The so-called “creative” or “active old age” allows you to avoid thoughts about various kinds of “defects”, and contributes to a feeling of a full life.

The second type of old age includes situations when an elderly person directs his energy to arranging the material side of his life. This includes not only the accumulation of material wealth, but also travel, self-education, and other types of activity for which there was simply not enough time during the years of professional activity. People who belong to the second type are characterized by a high level of socio-psychological adaptability.

The third type of old age is mainly characteristic of women. They focus all their energy and thoughts on the family. This behavior does not leave time for blues and psychological worries, but it can still reduce the level of satisfaction with one’s own life, compared to representatives of the first two types.

To the fourth type include older people actively occupying about your own health. This becomes their meaning of life and brings a certain degree of moral satisfaction. The negative aspects of representatives of the fourth type include the frequent exaggeration of the danger of real and sometimes fictitious diseases.

The above types of old age can be classified as psychologically well. At the same time, there are often negative examples of development in old age. These are aggressive, grumpy people, dissatisfied with their own lives and the surrounding society. They tend to constantly criticize everyone district, to making claims, teachings and disappointments. Such people “gnaw” themselves for missed opportunities (sometimes imaginary), which makes themselves even more unhappy.

How do people feel about their own aging?

Normal attitude involves understanding one’s condition and adequately perceiving information about old age.

Disparaging. People with this attitude may experience unfounded optimism caused by a lack of understanding of their own aging. Underestimation of ongoing processes may be accompanied by bravado that demonstrates disdain for aging. This behavior often hides general weakness, increased anxiety about health, and fear of death.

With a negative attitude an elderly person tries to drive away thoughts of old age and not pay attention to the processes taking place. This can result in hyperactivity caused by the desire to maintain one's previous status.

A gerontophobic attitude implies a fear of old age. A person, even realizing that he is exaggerating the existing danger, cannot fight his fears. As a result, important personal social goals may be overshadowed, and the need for emotional contact and recognition leads to a demonstration of one's own helplessness.

With a tragic attitude an elderly person views old age as a downfall, and considers his own life gray and boring. This behavior may be associated with the activation of defense mechanisms against psychological trauma associated with one's own aging.

Gerontophilic attitude on the contrary, it implies calmness, and even some satisfaction with aging, which is seen as freedom and the opportunity to “live for oneself.”

What are the psychological characteristics of older people?

The psychology of an elderly person is characterized by a conservative attitude towards the world around him. In this regard, a person is more difficult to adapt to changing moral standards, and therefore is increasingly inclined to criticize “new manners”.

Among the variety of life positions of older people, five main ones can be distinguished:

"Constructive » position characteristic of calm people who, in previous age periods, were distinguished by a cheerful disposition and satisfaction with life. Such qualities persist with age. They have a normal attitude towards old age and death. Without making a tragedy out of their own age and various illnesses, people with this position communicate well with others and provide them with help. A person with such a position successfully lives through the final stage of life.

"Dependent" position observed in older people, who were previously distinguished by self-distrust, had a passive life position and weak will. As they age, they demand help and seek recognition, and if they do not find this, then they choose the image of an offended and unhappy person.

"Defensive" position characteristic of people who are sometimes called “thick-skinned.” They are characterized by isolation, reluctance to accept anyone's help and hidden feelings. Hatred of old age forces them to continue an active lifestyle and leads to a reluctance to give up work.

"Hostility to Peace" manifested by “angry people” who tend to blame society and their environment for all their own real and imagined failures. Elderly people with this position are characterized by increased suspicion, distrust of others and aggressiveness. They also experience a high degree of aversion to old age and strive to continue their professional activities.

“Hostility towards yourself and your life” . This position is occupied by people with a depressive character, devoid of interests, they are prone to fatalism. Elderly people of this type have a heightened feeling of loneliness and “uselessness.” For them, their own life seems unsuccessful, and the fact of approaching death is regarded by them as deliverance from their misfortunes.

Process mental aging characterized by four groups of possible reactions:

Reactions to changed bodily sensations and subjective interpretation of one’s feelings: the capabilities of one’s own body are reduced - movements slow down, the reaction to various stimuli is delayed, and so on.

Reactions to transformation of mental functions, as well as experiencing these changes of a subjective nature: short-term memory deteriorates, difficulties appear with concentrating attention, with the analysis of life problems, the speed of mental reaction and the ability to adapt decreases. All these manifestations of transformation of mental functions cause a decrease in self-esteem, a decrease in interests and communication.

Reactions to what is happening in the social sphere , changes in the field of social connections:

connection is maintained with professional activity, which has been the main one throughout life. This happens indirectly through obtaining information from special sources, or, in the opposite direction, through writing memoirs and professional articles;

the sphere of interests is narrowed due to the fact that the area of ​​​​professional topics falls out of ordinary life. In everyday communication, only family problems, television news and other events not related to previous work activity are discussed;

health care comes to the fore. The most significant topics for conversation are medications, diseases, treatment options, and so on;

the meaning of life becomes its preservation. The circle of social communications includes relatives, doctors, social service employees;

everything is aimed at supporting vital functions - the emotional aspect of communication disappears.

Reactions caused by thoughts about impending death .

People perceive the fact of death differently. Differences in its perception are associated with factors such as temperament, cultural environment, and religious beliefs.

In addition to the psychological characteristics inherent in a person in old age, there are also psychopathological which take place in 6 stages:

Stage 1: Memories from a past life remain truly important, and real events are relegated to the background;

Stage 2: memory is constantly deteriorating;

Stage 3: an objective assessment of real life is lost;

Stage 4: helplessness becomes the cause of apathy towards the world, which subsequently leads to disorientation in current events.

Stage 5: Age-related insensitivity of consciousness appears, control over muscle functions is lost.

Stage 6: a state of global helplessness ensues.

The psychology of older people is individual in nature. The characteristics of old age depend on hereditary factors, somatic diseases, severe psychological stress and other factors.

Age-related or physiological characteristics in older people

With age, the skin of an elderly person becomes thin. This process is more pronounced on the palms, feet, around the joints and in the area of ​​​​protruding bones. Reduced sweat and sebum secretion contributes to dry skin and leads to loss of elasticity, the appearance of wrinkles and large folds. Subcutaneous fat tissue rapidly loses its volume. All these processes cause increased trauma to the skin, the appearance of ulcers and poor healing.

Hair changes over time under the influence of immunity, genetics, climatic and environmental factors. Hair becomes thinner, loses its color and thins. Bone mass also decreases. The joint elements and discs of the spine become thinner. This leads to constant pain.

The quantity is decreasing muscular fabrics, which becomes both a cause and a consequence of reduced physical activity. As a result, performance also decreases. A quickly arising feeling of fatigue prevents you from performing your usual activities.

Violated gait. An older person's pace slows down and becomes less stable. The time of support on both feet increases, which gives the gait a shuffling effect. Clumsiness appears in movements.

Lung tissue loses its elasticity. Reducing the stroke of the diaphragm leads to the fact that the lungs do not expand completely. Shortness of breath appears. A decrease in bronchial obstruction reduces the drainage function of the bronchi, so older people are at risk of pneumonia.

With age, the functioning of the heart muscle deteriorates. This is especially reflected in its contractility. During physical activity, it is worse at pushing blood to all parts of the body. Increased fatigue is caused by the fact that tissues do not receive enough oxygen from the blood. The result of this process is a decrease in the physical capabilities of older people and increased fatigue.

Social characteristics or life problems of people in old age

Health is one of the main issues for older people. The main characteristic of health for this category of people is a significant deterioration in the quality of life. According to statistics, the number of diseases in older people is twice as high as in representatives of younger groups, and for old people this figure rises to 6. At the same time, the majority are chronic diseases of the heart, joints, blood vessels, problems with vision and hearing. The average elderly citizen of the Russian Federation has from two to four diseases. Treatment costs for the elderly are on average 1.7 times higher than for younger generations.

Financial situation. Citizens who fall into the category of older people are more concerned about their financial situation, inflation, prices for medicines and food. The high cost of quality products worsens the daily diet of older people. In this age group The largest percentage of compatriots live, as they say, “from hand to mouth.” Low pensions create problems with buying normal clothes and comfortable shoes, not to mention the opportunity to spend funds on the socio-cultural sphere. All this further contributes to the deterioration of people’s health and psycho-emotional state.

Loneliness. This concept is becoming a pressing problem for older people. The psychological state of such people is influenced by the narrowness of social contacts. This leads to alienation and emotional depression. The reasons for loneliness for older people are the lack of business connections, long-term illnesses, and the passing of relatives and family members.

In our country there is a huge gap in the number of representatives of different genders in the total number of elderly and elderly people. There are 2 or more times more women in this group. This is explained by different life expectancies, as well as different perceptions of the death of a spouse. According to statistics, the death of a wife is experienced more acutely, since men are less inclined to live alone. At the same time, it is easier for a man to find a new life partner. For an elderly woman, the chances of starting a new family are quite small. This is compensated by the fact that women are more sociable, easily find friends and can take care of their own life. A partner for an elderly person is necessary to simplify the solution of financial issues, as someone who can be relied on, as well as someone who needs to be taken care of.

Features of the elderly

From this article you will learn:

What are the characteristics of old age?

What are the psychological characteristics

How do physiological characteristics manifest themselves in elderly and senile people?

What are the special features of caring for the elderly?

Who can help care for elderly relatives

Currently, the social situation, the focus on youth and an intensive lifestyle create a certain insecurity for older people. The most acute vulnerability is observed in the social and psychological position of the elderly in society.

The concepts of “old age” and “elderly people” It is customary to assign a negative meaning and consider them synonymous with the words “obsolete” and “inferior”. This situation is reflected in the self-awareness of older people and the appeal of younger generations to them. To improve the situation, you need to understand the characteristic features of older people and take them into account according to your capabilities.

What are the characteristics of the elderly and senile age?

The age usually referred to is people 60-65 years old. Most of them are active, do not quit their jobs when they retire, contribute to the lives of their children, and often devote a lot of time to their grandchildren. Of course, after 65 years, every person’s body experiences a restructuring of the immune, genetic and hormonal systems. All tissues and systems of the body undergo changes. Often your health deteriorates. Social status changes noticeably.

At that time Human aged needs an influx of additional vital energy . Friendly communication, physical and intellectual activity, a prosperous family environment, and a positive attitude towards life give pensioners the feeling that they are an important part of society. You should definitely help your health with a diet rich in vitamins and timely accessible medical care. Often, religion gives meaning to existence, inspires and gives vitality and health.

It is noteworthy that with retirement they often make themselves felt hidden abilities, many people can finally will make your wishes come true activities for which there was no time before: fishing, going to theater performances, philharmonic concerts. They fully invest in creating coziness in their summer cottages, spend time with friends, and can finally get properly involved in their favorite pastime. This way of life pushes aside the feeling that life has already been lived. It is especially important for older people to be able to appreciate every moment of existence, enjoy the moment, be attentive to their well-being, take care of their appearance and strive for an active life.

Features of old age

Old age inevitably follows advancing years- a special stage in the development of personality. Nowadays, the average life expectancy threshold has risen and the age of 75 years or older is considered old. Centenarians are people who live more than 90 years.

With the advent of old age, age-related changes are increasingly visible: the general condition of the nervous, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and other systems of the body changes not for the better.

Daily body cells die, blood vessels, tendons, and connective tissue lose their former elasticity. The functioning of the body deteriorates. The body's reactions are no longer the same, muscles weaken, joints and bones undergo changes. The heart's work slows down, blood circulation is less intense, and processes of degeneration of the liver, kidneys, and digestive system occur.

Such internal changes in the body invariably affect the appearance: the skin becomes covered with wrinkles, age spots appear. Hair turns gray and teeth often fall out.

Old age- This is a time of peace and contemplation. Despite the fact that physical activities quickly lead to fatigue, it is extremely useful for older people to take daily walks and meet with friends and family. Often, even after 70 years, many continue to be an example for the younger generation, remaining active and in demand, leading a healthy lifestyle, taking care of their appearance, having rich life experience and happily sharing their observations. It should be remembered that the health of older people is greatly influenced by the atmosphere at home, relationships with loved ones, the care of relatives and healthy food.

Psychological characteristics of the elderly

Let's start, unfortunately, with the sad stuff. The body ages and you have to put up with it. The wise try to maintain their health from their youth; there are elderly people who are not inferior in strength and erudition to the young. And yet, the reality is inexorable: to one degree or another, the body wears out, it takes more time to recover from stress, the skin changes, and diseases occur more often. Besides everything else, over the years The psychological sphere is also undergoing changes:

in the intellectual field The perception of new knowledge and ideas, the ability to navigate in unplanned conditions may be difficult. Situations that in the early years did not raise any special questions suddenly become difficult: a change of place of residence, illness of loved ones or oneself. Particularly severe stress is caused by situations that have never happened before: the departure of a spouse, restrictions in actions caused by paralysis, deterioration of vision to varying degrees;

in the emotional area uncontrollable affective reactions (excessive nervous excitement) occur, characterized by unreasonable sadness and a tendency to tears. The most common things can cause this condition: watching a movie from years ago or accidentally breaking a cup.

Often Hidden character traits are revealed. It is significant that the sense of purpose and meaning of life is lost.

Psychologists highlight several phases of psychological aging, which is in no way determined by the person’s true age:

at the first stage there remains a relationship with the job that was the main one before retirement. Usually, this is a matter directly related to the pensioner’s previous specialization. These can be people of intellectual professions (teachers, writers, scientists, artists). The connection can manifest itself directly in the form of participation in past activities from time to time, or indirectly, through reading professional literature, writing on the topic of specialization. When the activity ends abruptly with retirement, the person immediately moves on to the second stage.

at the second stage there is a decrease in the sphere of interest due to the end of professional activity. In conversations, more space is given to conversations about everyday issues, discussions of what they saw on TV, worries about the lives of children and grandchildren, and family news. And now among pensioners it is difficult to understand who was engaged in philosophy, who treated people, and who developed complex projects.

at the third stage Concerns for personal well-being occupy first place. The priority topic for conversations is discussions of medicines and traditional methods of treatment. Newspapers devoted to health are subscribed, and not a single program on the topic is missed on TV. The local doctor often acquires the status of the closest person.

at the fourth stage the whole meaning of life focuses on preserving this very life. The sphere of communication is extremely narrowed: the attending physician, relatives who contribute to the person’s personal comfort, neighbors living nearby. To maintain the norms of decency - congratulations on the holidays to long-time relatives and acquaintances. Mail correspondence may remain, but often there is only one interest - who else can be survived.

at the fifth stage vital needs are reduced: food, amount of sleep, need for rest. Emotionality and communication practically disappear.

Depressing scheme, but not necessary! Physical withering of the body does not determine psychological aging. In life you can often see the opposite picture: many people “die” mentally much earlier, aging body on a physical level. This happens to those who, on their own initiative, withdraw from society, which leads to a decrease in the number of personality traits and to the destruction of the personality structure.

If you look at older people aged 60-65, who suffer from a feeling of social uselessness, and at long-livers, who have preserved and developed personal qualities, the former will seem like decrepit old people. It has already begun for them stage of personality dying. The consequences of this stage are a sharp blocking of all reserves of a person’s performance and talents. The end of many years of work causes fundamental changes in the structure of a person’s personality.

We can confidently draw an optimistic conclusion: to live, increasing the actual age, but always arrive young at heart, to be alive,energetic and cheerful — Maybe! You might think that year after year it will be more difficult, but wisdom also increases, experience is gained. Motivation is important here—who is this all for?

Living only for oneself cannot preserve the insatiable desire for existence. When a person is surrounded by children, grandchildren, friends, feels that he is needed by his colleagues and is useful to society, and has a unique experience that he happily shares, then such a pensioner will not lose his vitality and youth.

Physiological characteristics of old age

Over the years the skin becomes thinner, mainly on the hands, feet, in the area of ​​large joints and bone protrusions. The skin becomes dry and wrinkled due to less sweat and sebum production. The amount of subcutaneous fat also decreases noticeably, and the skin becomes flabby. The skin is easily injured, cracks, tears, ulcers occur, and healing occurs much more slowly.

Throughout life hair undergoes various changes under the influence of immune, genetic, hormonal influences and exogenous factors such as frost, heat, chemicals, mechanical trauma, etc. Atrophic and dystrophic changes are observed in the hair follicles and bulbs, hair pigment disappears, and fragility appears.

Over the years the total number of bone tissue is reduced. Articular cartilage becomes thinner, as do intervertebral discs, as a result of which it develops pain syndrome, posture changes, and the spinal column is often curved.

Amount of muscle tissue Also is declining Over time, this reduces the ability to work and overall activity. Fatigue does not allow you to do things at your usual rhythm or complete the activity you started at once.

Gait becomes slow, unsteady, the step shortens, a characteristic shuffling appears. The time spent on both legs increases. It is no longer so easy for an older person to turn around; this happens clumsily and with varying speed in individual parts of the body.

Loss of elasticity is also observed in lung tissue. The diaphragm and chest lose their former mobility. When inhaling, the lungs do not have the opportunity to expand completely. Shortness of breath appears. Bronchial patency decreases, drainage “cleansing” the properties of the bronchi decrease. Insufficient ventilation of the lungs contributes to the development of congestive pneumonia.

The activity of the heart muscle becomes worse with age. First of all, this affects the contractility of the heart muscle, with the help of which the heart pumps blood throughout the body. During physical activity, the heart does not provide enough blood to the body, the tissues do not receive the proper amount of oxygen, this significantly reduces physical abilities, and the person quickly gets tired.

Features of nutrition of elderly people

Elderly people should strictly observe moderation in diet and exercise regularly. These rules will help you avoid excess weight and slow down the formation of sclerotic processes in the body. You should maintain a balanced diet, eat 4-5 times a day, and avoid overeating.

The menu should contain meat and lean fish(mostly sea), preferably boiled. It is better to exclude broths. Monitor the amount of fat and do not exceed the recommended amount. Animal fats, consumed in unlimited quantities, cause the development of atherosclerotic process and interfere with the quality digestion of food. It is best to completely exclude refractory fats, such as lard and beef fat, from your diet. An excellent alternative to butter is sour cream.

Carbohydrates should primarily come from a complex, slowly absorbed polysaccharide - starch, which is found in cereals and potatoes. Cellulose has special value in the menu of an elderly person. Vegetables and fruits help separate bile and are an excellent prevention of constipation.

Bread useful only from wholemeal flour. The healthiest cereals are buckwheat and oatmeal.

Vitamins are best absorbed from natural products. When the need for vitamins cannot be met with food alone, it is advisable to take a course of multivitamins.

Milk and dairy are the main source of calcium in the diet. Phosphorus is also found in dairy products and in meat, fish, and legumes. Plant foods are rich in magnesium: cereals, legumes, nuts, vegetables, etc. Zucchini, pumpkin, prunes, potatoes, berries, fruits, cabbage are rich in potassium. You should consume table salt as little as possible, limiting it to less than 15 g per day.

Features of caring for elderly and senile patients: 4 valuable tips

Monitor an elderly person's sleep

The duration of sleep for an elderly person is 7-8 hours a day, and more in case of illness or exhaustion. Nervous system elderly people very vulnerable, and sleep is the best way to restore it. This should always be kept in mind. One night without sleep is enough to subsequently feel exhausted and in a bad mood.

Unfortunately, Many older people suffer from sleep disorders in the form of insomnia. Often, older people like to take naps during the day, but this is not reflected in the overall amount of sleep due to the fact that they hardly sleep at night. To solve sleep problems, your doctor may prescribe sleeping pills. Unfortunately, this method gives only short-term results. The tablets are addictive and stop working with the proper strength; increasing the dose leads to physical inactivity and apathy.

For these reasons, caring for older people is imperative takes into account the creation of comfortable conditions for proper rest. To achieve this, you need the following:

orthopedic not too soft bed;

must be observed during sleep silence;

suitable temperature indoor temperature is about 18-22 C. To access fresh air, it is necessary to ventilate the room;

take care of lung,but a warm blanket;

eat 4 hours before bedtime, it is better not to drink tea or coffee before bed, and not to overindulge in sweets;

before bedtime very favorable take a little walk, get some fresh air;

try to choose leisure and interesting activities for an elderly person so that reduce, and even better put away day dream.

Elderly people often suffer from nocturnal diuresis, which is a consequence of age-related kidney problems. Reduce nighttime trips to the toilet simple ones will help adviсe:

do not drink anything before going to bed;

wear diapers if required;

Take diuretics with caution and, if possible, stop taking them.

Monitor the personal hygiene of an elderly person

Caring for an elderly person, of course, includes maintaining personal hygiene. Special attention You should pay attention to dry skin and use gentle moisturizers, apply restorative creams to avoid unpleasant sensations of tightness or itching.

Be prepared for accidents

The frequency of accidents increases with age, this is due to the general decline in the level of health of older people. The consequences of an accident in the form of a fracture, bruise or dislocation, etc., are experienced much more difficult at this age. If possible, try to avoid dangerous situations.

Do not move furniture in your home without the elderly person's knowledge. It is better to remove unnecessary furniture altogether;

Carpeting will help reduce the risk of injury from falling;

install comfortable handrails in the bathtub, use anti-slip coating on the bathroom floor and in the bathtub itself.

Create comfortable conditions for an elderly person

older people need a quiet, private environment from time to time, try to allocate a separate room and be understanding of this need;

there should be enough light in the room, ventilate the room regularly;

the height of the sleeping place should be at least 60 cm, but such that when sitting on it, your legs reach the floor;

It can be difficult to get up from a deep chair on your own, so it’s better to do without it.

What services are currently offered to care for the elderly?

Social worker

Every city, even with a small population, has a social service. Social workers on state initiative offer the following services for caring for the elderly:

• taking medications, monitoring the time and frequency of taking them;

  performing certain medical procedures or accompanying an elderly person to a medical center;

  purchase of food and medicine at the expense of the ward or his relatives;

  cooking;

  assistance with eating;

  airing the room and cleaning;

  accompaniment during walks;

  washing and ironing clothes and bed linen.

Let's consider positive and negative aspects of services social service :

this assistance is provided by the state for free To old people;

Usually, the social worker has medical education and knows how to act in critical situations;

assistance is provided once or around the clock;

In order to obtain assistance from a social worker, you will first have to submit an application to the commission of the district comprehensive center or social service center. Social service assistance is provided solely based on medical opinion. This service is called admission to non-stationary social services. Completing all the necessary paperwork takes quite a lot of time and effort;

can count on the help of a social worker not all categories of elderly people;

in the case where an elderly person does not correspond to the category eligible for social service assistance, it is provided only when a close relative of the pensioner is ill for a long time, has a disability, has reached retirement age, has a place of residence remote from the person in need of care, or is often on business trips.

Nurse

Nurse is a qualified medical worker who has undergone special training and understands all the features of caring for the elderly. This hard work, in which only those who have not only education, but also certain personality traits take root - patience, hard work, cheerfulness, openness and the ability to empathize. Such character traits are rare, so finding a really good nurse is not easy.

Depending on the situation, you can invite a visiting nurse with an hourly rate or a live-in nurse, where you pay a certain amount for an agreed period of time.

In what pros and cons of using babysitting services:

You pay only behind That time work nurses, which you need.

a nurse comes to your home, therefore, an elderly person you won't have to move anywhere. Older people are often categorically against leaving their home, so this can be defined as the main positive quality in the services of a nurse.

nurse will needs to be carried out in your house a large number of hours. Presence stranger may cause some discomfort.

It may happen that even after carefully selecting a caregiver, the relationship with the patient may not work out or with one of your relatives.

the nurse will be there a lot of time one on one with an elderly person those in need of help. You need to completely trust the professionalism, experience, and personal qualities of the employee in order to be calm.

Specialized boarding house (elderly care with accommodation)

Exist specialized boarding houses for caring for elderly people. Currently, boarding houses resemble cozy sanatoriums that provide the necessary medical services. They try to build such boarding houses in a quiet place with picturesque nature, not too far from the city, so that loved ones can freely visit at any time.

In addition to providing accommodation and necessary care, private boarding houses are equipped to accommodate elderly people with disabilities. These boarding houses offer a wide variety of services.. A developed system for rehabilitation recovery will be relevant to people who have received any injuries, undergone operations or serious illnesses. In boarding houses, special emphasis is placed on organizing the leisure time of the wards.

Elderly people receive opportunity again plunge into social life, which has no less successful therapeutic effect than qualified medical care. In boarding houses there is an opportunity for communication, concerts are held here, picnics are organized, they regularly introduce various types of art at master classes, and show life-affirming films.

Of course, it is impossible to avoid a negative assessment of state boarding houses in our country, the only advantage of which is their low price. But if you think wisely, the cost of a private boarding house is not much higher, especially taking into account the quantity and quality of services provided, professionalism medical care. A private boarding house, of course, will cost more expensive, but this is the price of the health of a loved one.

Let's consider positive and negative aspects of staying in a private boarding house for caring for elderly people:

the staff of a private boarding house is able to provide more qualified and professional assistance, than a visiting nurse. Boarding houses have all the necessary sophisticated equipment that is simply not possible to have at home. The residents of the boarding house are monitored not only by highly qualified nurses, but also by a staff of doctors of various competencies. A nurse can only provide support for vital functions and basic comfort, while in boarding houses a lot of attention is devoted to increasing the quality of life itself.

rehabilitation programs successfully restore health, animators do not let you get bored, cooks come up with a healthy and tasty menu, and a circle of peers gives older people the joy of feeling like a full-fledged person again.

boarding houses provide flexible terms oriented to any needs and capabilities of clients.

an elderly person can live only a few days in a boarding house, maybe several weeks or months. Permanent stay is also provided. Rehabilitation courses of various durations are also conducted.

in the boarding house it is possible to choose for each guest from a large staff of caregivers, with whom a friendly, trusting relationship will develop.

Over the past decade, private boarding houses have become very popular, and new ones are constantly starting to operate. To select the ideal boarding house it will take time. You should not make a choice based only on the information provided by the site; you always need to come, see with your own eyes, talk with the staff and guests;

very elderly people painfully perceive separation from home. Moving is further complicated by the fact that boarding houses are perceived as gloomy and sad nursing homes. It will take a lot of personal tact and patience to show the boarding house exactly what it is - a comfortable country hotel, with cozy living conditions and a wide range of communication and interesting activities.

State budgetary professional educational institution

"Kushchevsky Medical College"

Ministry of Health of the Krasnodar Territory

Features of elderly and senile people

Methodological development for the teacher

theoretical (lecture) lesson

PM 02. Participation in diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitation processes.

MDK 02.01. Nursing care for various diseases and conditions.

Section 1. Nursing care in geriatrics.

Specialty: 02/34/01 - Nursing

course – IV; semester - VIII

station Kushchevskaya

Motivation

The problem of aging and old age is the object of a special interdisciplinary branch of knowledge - gerontology. Gerontology focuses on the biological, psychological and sociological aspects of aging.

During aging, the principle of heterochrony operates. It manifests itself in the fact that not all human organs and systems age at the same time and at the same rate.

Aging is a natural and normative process; it has a wide range of individual differences. Individual characteristics Human aging determines the existence of various variants of aging. Clinical and physiological indicators make it possible to distinguish several old age syndromes: hemodynamic (changes in the cardiovascular system), neurogenic (changes in the nervous system), respiratory (changes in the respiratory system).

External bodily changes during aging are well known (gray hair, wrinkles, etc.). In addition, changes in skeletal structure lead to a decrease in height, which can decrease by 3-5 cm due to compression of the intervertebral discs. Osteoporosis occurs (demineralization of bones, expressed in the loss of calcium), as a result of which the bones become fragile. Muscle mass decreases, resulting in reduced strength and endurance. Blood vessels lose their elasticity, some of them become clogged, and because of this, the blood supply to the body worsens with all the ensuing consequences. The efficiency of the cardiovascular system as a whole decreases, and the ability of the lungs to carry out gas exchange weakens. IN immune system Antibody production decreases and the body's defenses weaken. At the same time, regular physical exercises that help strengthen muscles in old age improve the somatic status of the body.

The importance of studying this topic is obvious: the knowledge gained will help you in further studies in other academic disciplines, during pre-graduation practice, writing and defending a final qualifying thesis, and in future professional activities.

Lesson objectives

To give students knowledge about the characteristics of elderly and senile people.

Didactic:

After working in a lecture lesson, the student should have an idea:

about characteristic specific changes in the emotional sphere of a person in the period of late adulthood;

about characteristic specific changes in the higher mental functions of a person in the period of late adulthood;

about age-related morphofunctional changes in the organs and systems of elderly and senile people.

Know:

periodization of late adulthood;

characteristic specific changes in the emotional sphere of a person in late adulthood;

manifestations of age-related depression according to N. F. Shakhmatov;

specific changes in a person’s higher mental functions in the period of late adulthood;

age-related morphofunctional changes in organs and systems of elderly and senile humans.

Be able to:

use terminology;

reply on topic.

1.2. Educational:

develop students’ cognitive activity;

develop the ability to identify key issues in lecture material;

develop professional interest in the characteristics of elderly and senile people;

develop the ability to establish a connection between the material under consideration and existing knowledge in other clinical disciplines.

2. Educational:

to cultivate the cognitive interest of students, the desire to apply the acquired knowledge in practice;

foster a sense of responsibility for the patient’s health;

cultivate professional duty and love for the medical profession.

2. Methodological:

deepen and expand theoretical knowledge on the topic;

achieve effective learning of educational material;

provide high-quality methodological equipment for the educational process.

3. Lesson duration: 90 minutes.

4. Venue: lecture hall.

5. Form and methods of organizing the process according to Babansky.

5.1. Type of lesson: learning new material.

5.2. Type of activity – lecture.

5.3. Methods of organizing and implementing educational and cognitive activities of students

5.3.1. Perceptual methods:

verbal: report;

visual: demonstration.

5.3.2. Boolean methods:

analytical-synthetic;

deductive.

5.3.3. Gnostic Methods:

reproductive.

5.4. Methods for generating interest in learning:

reliance on previously gained life experience;

entertaining situation.

5.4.1. Methods for developing duty and responsibility for learning:

positive example methods;

methods for creating positive learning experiences.

5.4.2. Methods of control and self-control in training:

Literature for teachers

Main

Additional

2. Kryukova D. A. Healthy person and his environment, 2015, pp. 438-441.

Literature for students

Main

1. Kovtun E.I. Nursing in geriatrics. - St. Petersburg, 2014, p. 51-56, 65 – 177, 204-228.

Additional

1. Bortnikova S. M. Nursing in neurology and psychiatry with a course in narcology. SPb-Publishing house "Lan", 2015, p. 234-236, 238-243, 289-298.

Map of intradisciplinary connections

	Supporting Themes	The connection between what has been studied and what is being studied	Themes provided
		Age-related anatomical and functional changes in elderly and senile people Complications of acute and chronic diseases in elderly and senile people	“Features of the development of diseases and pharmacotherapy in old and senile age”
			“The course of acute and chronic diseases in elderly and senile people”

Map of visual aids and TSO

p/p	View	Name
	TSO	Multimedia projector
	Visibility Presentation Visual aids	Features of elderly and senile people Board, chalk, screen.

Map of interdisciplinary connections

p/p	Discipline	Subject
Providing
	Basics of Latin with medical terminology	Anatomical terminology
	A healthy person and his environment Mature age	Health of elderly and senile people
	Human Anatomy and Physiology	Morphofunctional characteristics of the movement apparatus Anatomy and physiology of the respiratory organs Anatomical and physiological features of the cardiovascular system Blood circulation process Morphofunctional characteristics of the gastrointestinal tract
Secured Internship Writing a thesis Future professional activities

Time map of the lecture session

p/p	Lesson stages		Time
	Organizing time. Motivation of the topic. Objectives of the lesson, intradisciplinary and interdisciplinary connections
	Updating of reference knowledge
	Presentation of new material
	Systematization and consolidation of the presented material
	Summarizing.
	Homework assignment
Total:

Updating of reference knowledge

p/p	View	Response standard
	List the higher mental functions?	perception, imagination, memory, thinking and speech.
	Trachea nstarts from the lower border of the larynx at the level of the lower edge of the 6th cervical vertebra and ends at the level	upper edge of the 5th thoracic vertebra
	What does the cardiovascular system consist of?	heart and blood vessels
	What two groups of organs is the human digestive system divided into?	on the organs of the gastrointestinal tract and auxiliary organs (salivary glands, liver, pancreas, etc.)
	What does the urinary system consist of?	from a pair of kidneys, two ureters, a bladder, and an urethra.
	Tissue rich in the spleen, tonsils, lymph nodes	lymphoid
	List the types of bones	three types - tubular, spongy and flat

Lecture outline

Introduction

1. Periodization of late adulthood.

2. Characteristic specific changes in the emotional sphere of a person in the period of late adulthood.

3. Manifestations of age-related depression according to N. F. Shakhmatov.

4. Specific changes in higher mental functions of a person in the period of late adulthood.

5. Age-related morphofunctional changes in the organs and systems of elderly and senile people.

Lecture No. 1

Topic: Features of elderly and senile people.

The period of late adulthood is often called gerontogenesis, or the period of aging. Some authors believe that for women the period of late adulthood begins at 55, and for men at 60 years. People who have reached this age are divided into three subgroups: elderly people, senile people and centenarians. Four subperiods: 60-69 years - presenile; 70 - 79 - senile; 80 - 89 - late senile; 90 years and older - decrepitude. The main feature of late adulthood is aging - a genetically programmed process accompanied by certain physiological and psychological changes.

The period of late adulthood is characterized by specific changes in the emotional sphere of a person: an uncontrolled increase in affective reactions, a tendency to causeless sadness, and tearfulness. Most older people tend to become eccentric, less empathetic, more self-absorbed, and less able to cope with difficult situations. Older men become more passive and allow themselves to exhibit character traits more common to women, while older women become more aggressive, practical and domineering.

Senile anxiety, emotional detachment and, to some extent, depression perform protective functions:

1) Chronic senile preoccupation plays the role of a kind of readiness for frustration, therefore it helps an elderly person avoid strong emotional outbursts in truly critical situations, gives sharpness to the subjective picture of the present, helps to avoid boredom, and is one of the ways to structure time.

2) Emotional detachment, outwardly manifested as indifference, helps to avoid the deep suffering that old age is especially saturated with, including such as the death of loved ones.

3) Typical of late adulthood is age-related situational depression - a uniform and persistent decrease in mood, increasing! touchiness and anxious suspiciousness. At the same time, this condition seems normal to the oldest person, so any help is rejected.

Manifestations of age-related depression (N. F. Shakhmatov):

1. Hypochondriacal fixation on painful sensations (live discussion of them with others, overvalued attitude towards medications and methods of treatment) is a defense mechanism, considering the disease, not to see one’s own old age.

2. Ideas about oppression (the main feeling is resentment, and the thought is “everyone wants to get rid of me”).

3. Tendency to fiction, testifying to one’s special significance (telling actual episodes of one’s life with exaggeration or fiction).

4. Feelings of uselessness and insecurity are typical for older people, but often they do not correspond to their real life situation. The sources of this feeling: first - when a person ceases to be needed by himself and projects this feeling onto others; the second is a person’s weakness; constant confirmation of his need is necessary. Both sources are interconnected.

The level of fears in late adulthood increases because, on the one hand, they accumulate throughout life, and on the other hand, the approach of the end poses a threat. The fear of death can be projected onto the environment, which in this case is seen in a negative context.

A reaction to not accepting one's own old age can be suicide. Elderly people mask their suicidal intentions by saying that they can literally starve themselves, overdose, mix up, or fail to take medication on time.

HPF: thinking is increasingly dialectical, the ability to assimilate new impressions, cognitive ability, memory, memorization for current events is weakened, while retaining for events of the past, changes in intelligence are very individual.

Mature people react more psychologically to chronic and disabling diseases.

Significant morphological and functional changes occur in the respiratory organs during the aging process. After 60 years, degenerative-dystrophic changes in the bones and muscles of the chest appear. The costal cartilages lose their elasticity as a result of the deposition of calcium salts in them, and the mobility of the costovertebral joints is impaired. Osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, atrophy of the long muscles of the back leads to the development of senile kyphosis. The consequence is deformation of the chest (barrel-shaped), and this leads to decreased mobility of the chest and deterioration of pulmonary ventilation. In old age, the trachea moves down to the level of the V thoracic vertebra, its lumen expands, and the wall becomes calcified. Connective tissue grows around the bronchi - protrusion of the walls of the bronchi, narrowing of the lumen, dysfunction, leading to the development of pathological processes. Lung tissue loses elasticity, the walls of the alveoli become thinner, and ruptures are possible. Pulmonary vessels: fibrosis develops in the pulmonary arteries, arterioles and venules. The number of functioning capillaries and capillary permeability are reduced, and the filling of blood vessels in the lungs decreases. The vital capacity of the lungs decreases due to morphological changes in the respiratory apparatus. The nervous system that regulates breathing also changes during the aging process. Weakening the regulation of breathing leads to a decrease in the adaptation of respiratory function during physical exertion, the development of conditioned respiratory reflexes becomes more difficult, and respiratory arrhythmias become more frequent. In old age, the cough reflex decreases, which leads to impaired drainage function. During the aging process, adaptive mechanisms are formed that support optimal mechanisms for an aging person. Compensatory mechanisms: increased sensitivity to carbon dioxide of the respiratory center and vascular chemoreceptors. Adaptive: increased sensitivity of the hypothalamic nuclei to adrenaline and acetylcholine. The adaptive mechanism is easily depleted and decompensated after stress.

In the cardiovascular system in old age, age-related sclerotic lesions occur primarily in the heart vessels, large and small vessels, which leads to insufficient blood supply to vital organs and tissues.

Sclerotic changes in the myocardium lead to a decrease in its contractility. With age, electrolyte metabolism in tissues is disrupted, affecting myocardial contractility. This leads to impaired myocardial excitability and frequent arrhythmias. In older people, blood pressure tends to increase, and venous pressure decreases with age. With age, there is also a natural decrease in the physical performance of older people. In this regard, the reserve adaptive capabilities of the cardiovascular system change.

In addition, atherosclerotic damage to the heart vessels leads to disruption of coronary blood flow. The result is ischemia, dystrophy of the muscle fibers of the heart, their atrophy, and their replacement with connective tissue. This is how atherosclerotic cardiosclerosis, heart failure, and various heart rhythm disorders develop. Heart rate tends to slow down in old age. Under heavy loads in older people, a discrepancy quickly appears between the blood supply to the heart muscle and its need for oxygen and nutrients.

During the aging process, atrophic processes develop in the digestive organs and their function is impaired. Oral cavity: due to caries and periodontal disease, the number of teeth decreases, the color is yellowish, teeth are worn out, and there are cracks in the enamel. The volume of the oral cavity decreases, the bones of the facial skull atrophy, and the bite is disrupted. Facial and chewing muscles are susceptible to atrophy. Difficulty biting and chewing. Salivary glands: atrophy - this leads to constant dry mouth, cracks in the tongue and lips. Tongue: enlarges, taste sensitivity to sweet, sour, bitter is impaired. The enzyme activity of saliva decreases, which leads to digestion problems in the oral cavity. Esophagus: lengthens, bends. Atrophic changes appear in all layers of the esophageal wall. In the middle part of the esophagus, difficulty in passing food may occur; with age, the frequency of reflux (reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus) increases. Stomach: during the aging process, all the structural elements of its walls change. The thickness of the mucous membrane decreases and the number of secretory cells decreases. The blood supply to the stomach walls is reduced. Age-related changes in the stomach wall lead to disruption of secretory and motor functions. Intestines: its overall length increases, often at the expense of some parts of the large intestine. Changes in the intestines occur due to age-related weakened muscle tone and consumption of large quantities of rough food throughout life. Impaired intestinal motor function leads to “senile constipation.” Changes in intestinal microflora: the number of bacteria of the putrefactive group increases, the number of bacteria of the lactic acid group decreases. Older people are more likely to develop colon polyps. With age, the mass of the liver decreases - this causes disruption of protein, fat, carbohydrate and pigment metabolism. Gallbladder: increased in volume, its motor function is weakened, which leads to stagnation of bile. Pancreas: its atrophic changes occur after 40 years. Glandular cells die, being replaced by connective tissue, and the volume of adipose tissue is increased. Endocrine functions of the pancreas: the insulin content in the blood is increased, but because part of it is in an inactive state; blood glucose levels increase in older people.

Kidney disease is a common pathology of old age. According to domestic nephrologists, they are among the 4 main causes of death in elderly and senile people. With age, the death of the renal parenchyma progresses - by old age, a person loses 1/3 - ½ of nephrons, connective tissue grows, and age-related nephrosclerosis forms. With aging, oxygen consumption by the kidneys decreases, the number of mitochondria in cells decreases, and overall ATP activity decreases, which leads to a reduction in energy metabolism in the organ. The physiological level of renal blood circulation and glomerular filtration decreases. The excretory (nitrogen-water) function of the kidneys decreases and this leads to the formation of age-related renal hypofunction, a torpid type of reaction of the organ to irritation. The kidney calyces, pelvis, and ureters thicken with age, lose elasticity, and increase capacity. The walls of the bladder become denser, which leads to a decrease in its capacity, and as a consequence to an increased urge to urinate. The function of the bladder closure apparatus decreases, which leads to urinary incontinence. Age-related structural metabolic functional regulatory changes reduce the reliability of the urinary system and increase the likelihood of decompensation (especially of the kidneys) under stress - this is important to know as part of reducing the dose of medications.

During the aging process, the thyroid gland undergoes physiological involution, which occurs in several variants (V. JI. Bykov):

The gland is represented by large follicles, stretched by a dense colloid with a high content of neutral mucopolysaccharides. In this case, resorptive processes suffer more than synthetic ones;

The gland consists of small follicles lined with flattened cells. The volume of the stroma is slightly increased;

Along with involutive processes, cystic changes are detected in the thyroid parenchyma.

Any variant of involution of the thyroid gland is accompanied by a decrease in the relative volume of the epithelium and a decrease in the activity of enzyme systems in it. The height of the thyroid epithelium decreases, the colloidal substance thickens, the mitotic activity of epithelial cells decreases, structural disorganization of mitochondria is characteristic, and interfollicular connective tissue increases. As a result, during the aging process, all three periods of the secretory cycle of thyrocytes are disrupted: biorinthesis, release of products into the lumen of the follicle, and release of thyroid hormones into the circulation. In addition, with age, the vascularization of the thyroid gland decreases, which ranks first in the body in terms of intensity of blood supply (56 ml of blood per 10 g of tissue). Changes in the structure of blood capillaries in the thyroid gland are more pronounced than in other endocrine glands.

With age, the bone marrow and organs rich in lymphoid tissue (spleen, tonsils, lymph nodes) undergo involution. In this regard, by the age of 65-75, the number of T- and B-lymphocytes in the peripheral blood decreases. In the bone marrow, hematopoietic tissue is gradually replaced by adipose tissue. There is a tendency to increase the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Despite these features, the level of hemoglobin, leukocytes, platelets, leukocyte formula, blood coagulation indicators, and oxygen transport in elderly people practically does not change. With illnesses and various functional stresses in older people, the body's adaptive capabilities, including those of the blood, decrease.

The system of support and movement naturally changes during the aging process. The formation of age-related changes combines both biologically determined processes and the results of static-dynamic loads on supporting tissues throughout life, as well as neuromuscular influences on them weakened by age. Changes in the musculoskeletal system with age are characterized by dystrophic, destructive changes with the predominance of osteoporosis, atrophic or hyperplastic processes. In parallel, compensatory - adapted reactions develop, aimed at restoring lost function and structure (osseous - cartilaginous growths of vertebral bodies and discs, changes in their shape and curvature of the spine).

Clinically, this is manifested by moderate fatigue when walking, peripheral dull pain in the joints and spine, impaired posture and gait, decreased height, limited mobility in the joints, neurodynamic changes in the spine characteristic of osteochondrosis, etc.

Questions to reinforce the material

p/p	View	Response standard
	What is the period of late adulthood often called?	gerontogenesis, or the period of aging
	What functions do senile anxiety, emotional detachment and, to some extent, depression perform?	protective
	What could it be R a reaction to non-acceptance of one’s own old age among older people?	disguised suicidal intentions
	What is exposed first? age-related sclerotic lesions in the cardiovascular system in old age?	heart vessels
	The age at which atrophic changes occur in the pancreas	Fourty years

Questions for generalization and systematization

p/p	View	Response standard
	Clinical situation: To you, district police officer nurse, a relative of a patient in mourning and suffering from kidney disease asked to explain the reason for the minimum dose of the drug prescribed by the doctor. Your explanations.	Age-related structural metabolic functional regulatory changes reduce the reliability of the urinary system and increase the likelihood of decompensation (especially of the kidneys) under stress - this is important to know as part of reducing the dose of medications.

Conclusion

Elderly people are considered to be aged 60-65 years. The overwhelming majority of them are active, continue to work after retirement, or help their children run the household or take care of their grandchildren. Even after 70 years, many people remain active, in demand, take care of themselves, and have their own position in life. Their well-being is greatly influenced by the attitude of loved ones towards them, the atmosphere in the family, good care and nutrition.

Elderly and senile age is a time when psychological problems overcome. Slowing of important mental functions, weakening of memory, attention, decreased ability to think and analyze. Weakening the ability to adapt. Stress, experiences associated with the loss of friends, loved ones, loss of ability to work.

Decreased self-esteem due to a feeling of age. Lack of communication, loneliness, lack of interest in modern life. Many people live in the past, their memories. Depression, suicidal thoughts associated with lack of life prospects, illness, uselessness to family, former employees, fear of imminent death.

After 65 years, the anatomical and physiological system of each person undergoes a number of serious changes at the genetic, immune, and hormonal levels. All tissues, organs, and systems of the body change. The state of health deteriorates, the social status of a person changes.

With the onset of old age, age-related changes become more and more pronounced: the condition of the nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and other systems worsens. Many thousands of cells die every day, blood vessels, muscles, tendons, and connective tissue lose their elasticity. The work of the heart slows down, the activity of blood circulation decreases, and the process of degeneration of the kidneys, liver, and digestive system begins. Reactions become weaker, muscles lose strength, bones and joints change. Internal changes are reflected in the external appearance: the skin becomes loose, wrinkled, and pigmentation occurs. Hair turns gray, thins, teeth fall out.

A medical worker must understand the characteristics and problems of elderly and old people, try to make their lives easier, help them adapt to new realities, protect them from loneliness, and provide good care.

Homework

1. Kovtun E.I. Nursing in geriatrics. - St. Petersburg, 2014, p. 51-56, 65-177, 204-223.

2. Lecture No. 1 Features of elderly and senile people.

3. Preparing a conversation with the patient’s relatives