The elderly portion of our society is increasing each year, with that the need for speech pathologists and many other medical professionals also increase. Speech language pathologists (SLPs) assist the elderly with a variety of things from relearning to speak after a stroke to improving their articulation and volume. There are specialized SLPs in the geriatric field that often work in private clinics, nursing homes or assisted living facilities. These specialized SLPs keep current with the ever evolving technology and newest methods of therapy which appeal to the older generations.
SLPs that specialize in geriatrics must have patience and a love for the older generation, as geriatrics can be one of the most trying generations to work with. Although there are portions of our society who realize they need help with their speech, many are set in their ways and believe that everyone else needs to “just listen better”. The elders who admit their difficulties are amazing to work with, as watching a person regain their ability to communicate is a beautiful thing. The elders who are stubborn can be trying as they often attempt to ignore the clinician’s therapy techniques. The biggest step for these clinicians is to have the patient realize that with the clinician’s help they will once again be able to easily communicate with others and improve their quality of life.
As a future SLP specializing in geriatrics, I find this generation both the most difficult and the most rewarding to work with. I have helped several clients that don’t think they have a problem realize that with proper therapy they can improve their quality of life. One of the most rewarding things to see is an elder once again being able to communicate with their spouse, children or grandchildren. I cannot wait to work full-time with the elderly community, I am sure that it will be a very rewarding job!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Blog #3: Wild Card
Domestic violence against the elderly is more common than one would think. Although most of society cannot fathom the thought of abusing an elderly person, there are many people that do it every day. According to the article, every year there are tens of thousands of elderly Americans abused in their own homes, in relatives’ homes, and even in facilities responsible for their care. There are many different types of abuse such as physical, mental, emotion, sexual, financial exploitation and many others. Often when an elder is getting abused there are more than one types of abuse occurring.
The most common signs of an abused elder are when they become argumentative with their care-giver and changes in their personality/behavior. An elderly person is just like everyone else, and is often fearful to report abuse. Also, some elderly people do not even realize they are being abused so if asked about it they get frustrated and angry. According to the article that for every one case of abuse against an elder there are at least twelve to thirteen cases not being reported. That statistic is very scary. If someone suspects that an elder is being abused they should first question the elderly person themselves, then involve the elder’s doctors.
I cannot understand how a person could even think of abusing another person; however abuse happens every day and is often left unreported. Abuse against the elderly in particular is a very important topic to me, as my own grandmother was the worst case of domestic abuse in the state of Maine in 2006. My parents did everything they could to protect my grandmother against my uncle, however the laws that were in place at the time were against my parents are on my Uncle’s side. My grandmother was both physically abused and financially exploited, but it took my grandmother eventually dying to have the authorities finally realize their legal system was flawed. As a result of this situation, I feel that it is very important to educate people on the signs of abuse and how to report the abuse. No matter how much an elderly person denies being abuse, if you suspect abuse then there is usually a reason why you’re suspecting it.
http://www.athealth.com/Consumer/Disorders/DomViolFacts.html
The most common signs of an abused elder are when they become argumentative with their care-giver and changes in their personality/behavior. An elderly person is just like everyone else, and is often fearful to report abuse. Also, some elderly people do not even realize they are being abused so if asked about it they get frustrated and angry. According to the article that for every one case of abuse against an elder there are at least twelve to thirteen cases not being reported. That statistic is very scary. If someone suspects that an elder is being abused they should first question the elderly person themselves, then involve the elder’s doctors.
I cannot understand how a person could even think of abusing another person; however abuse happens every day and is often left unreported. Abuse against the elderly in particular is a very important topic to me, as my own grandmother was the worst case of domestic abuse in the state of Maine in 2006. My parents did everything they could to protect my grandmother against my uncle, however the laws that were in place at the time were against my parents are on my Uncle’s side. My grandmother was both physically abused and financially exploited, but it took my grandmother eventually dying to have the authorities finally realize their legal system was flawed. As a result of this situation, I feel that it is very important to educate people on the signs of abuse and how to report the abuse. No matter how much an elderly person denies being abuse, if you suspect abuse then there is usually a reason why you’re suspecting it.
http://www.athealth.com/Consumer/Disorders/DomViolFacts.html
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Blog #2: Elder Drivers
Although I doubt this will ever happen, I personally believe the state of Florida (and all other states!) should enact a mandatory driving test for all drivers. I understand that as people grow older the cause of accidental deaths being motor vehicles increases, therefore I believe that as people get older the driving test should become more regular. In my opinion the driving test should be every ten years until age fifty, then every five years until age eighty-five, then annually for as long as they are able to pass the test.
I personally have seen that different people age differently, some ninety year olds are better drivers than some twenty year olds. I know my grandmother that was driving at age ninety three should have lost her license at about age eighty, as she was a very unsafe driver. My parents repeatedly tried to convince my grandmother to turn in her license, however she always refused. My great uncle, whom passed away at age ninety-five, was a great driver his entire life. I personally feel he was a better driver than many of my friends are. He knew his eye sight was poorer than someone my age; therefore he paid great attention to the road while many people my age are on their cell phones or playing with their stereos.
I have heard many people say how Florida has the worst drivers because we have one of the highest populations of elderly in the United States. Although I do agree that many elderly are not the best drivers, I do not feel this is the sole reason that Florida has bad drivers. I feel that Florida moves at a fast pace and many of our residents are constantly on the go, because of this many of our drivers are careless and are just trying to get somewhere quickly rather than safely. I think enacting a mandatory driving test for all of our drivers would significantly lower Florida’s motor-vehicle accident rate.
I personally have seen that different people age differently, some ninety year olds are better drivers than some twenty year olds. I know my grandmother that was driving at age ninety three should have lost her license at about age eighty, as she was a very unsafe driver. My parents repeatedly tried to convince my grandmother to turn in her license, however she always refused. My great uncle, whom passed away at age ninety-five, was a great driver his entire life. I personally feel he was a better driver than many of my friends are. He knew his eye sight was poorer than someone my age; therefore he paid great attention to the road while many people my age are on their cell phones or playing with their stereos.
I have heard many people say how Florida has the worst drivers because we have one of the highest populations of elderly in the United States. Although I do agree that many elderly are not the best drivers, I do not feel this is the sole reason that Florida has bad drivers. I feel that Florida moves at a fast pace and many of our residents are constantly on the go, because of this many of our drivers are careless and are just trying to get somewhere quickly rather than safely. I think enacting a mandatory driving test for all of our drivers would significantly lower Florida’s motor-vehicle accident rate.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Blog #1: Aging Stereotypes
A stereotype is a commonly held opinion concerning specific social groups or types of people. Often stereotypes are passed down from one generation to the next, without either generation truly understanding why they hold the opinion they do. Stereotypes can be both negative and positive; however they are rarely entirely true. Whether a person wants to believe it or not, everyone holds stereotypes of some sort. One of the most common stereotypes today is stereotypes of the elderly. Unfortunately, the majority of the stereotypes concerning the elderly are negative.
One of the most common stereotypes concerning the elderly is that they are poor drivers. This is a very common stereotype in the state of Florida, as our population holds a great number of elderly people. I know that I have a problem holding this stereotype, because every time I am behind a slow driver I make the comment that it must be an “old person” in front of me. Although eight times out of ten I am correct, I know that this is not a completely true statement as there are also a great deal of speeding tickets issued to elderly drivers each year. I find that even elderly people have this stereotype against their peers, as I have heard my grandfather make a comment that another elderly driver should not have their license because they cannot see properly.
A common stereotype of elderly women is that they are good cooks. I think that this is generally a true stereotype, as many women have perfected their cooking skills by the time they reach the “elderly” age. I personally know that both of my grandmothers and my fiancé’s grandmothers are some of the best cooks I know. They cook everything from memory and without fail every time their meals are delicious. I am sure however that there are some elderly women in this world that never learned to cook and are therefore poor cooks.
A third stereotype concerning the elderly is that they appreciate things a lot more than younger generations do. I believe this stereotype is nearly always true, because younger generations truly do not know how good we have it. Elderly generations remember times when there was no such thing as cell phones, not everyone had running water or air conditioning, and owning a car (much less two or three!) was a luxury. If any of those luxuries were taken away from a teenager today they would throw a fit. The elderly truly understand that the best things in life really are free.
I believe that there are a lot of stereotypes concerning the elderly, both positive and negative. I personally am at fault for holding stereotypes of all people, including the elderly. I try to be open minded and not judge someone until I truly give them a chance, however sometimes it is difficult to do this. I believe if society understood each other better there would be less stereotypes formed concerning other groups of people.
One of the most common stereotypes concerning the elderly is that they are poor drivers. This is a very common stereotype in the state of Florida, as our population holds a great number of elderly people. I know that I have a problem holding this stereotype, because every time I am behind a slow driver I make the comment that it must be an “old person” in front of me. Although eight times out of ten I am correct, I know that this is not a completely true statement as there are also a great deal of speeding tickets issued to elderly drivers each year. I find that even elderly people have this stereotype against their peers, as I have heard my grandfather make a comment that another elderly driver should not have their license because they cannot see properly.
A common stereotype of elderly women is that they are good cooks. I think that this is generally a true stereotype, as many women have perfected their cooking skills by the time they reach the “elderly” age. I personally know that both of my grandmothers and my fiancé’s grandmothers are some of the best cooks I know. They cook everything from memory and without fail every time their meals are delicious. I am sure however that there are some elderly women in this world that never learned to cook and are therefore poor cooks.
A third stereotype concerning the elderly is that they appreciate things a lot more than younger generations do. I believe this stereotype is nearly always true, because younger generations truly do not know how good we have it. Elderly generations remember times when there was no such thing as cell phones, not everyone had running water or air conditioning, and owning a car (much less two or three!) was a luxury. If any of those luxuries were taken away from a teenager today they would throw a fit. The elderly truly understand that the best things in life really are free.
I believe that there are a lot of stereotypes concerning the elderly, both positive and negative. I personally am at fault for holding stereotypes of all people, including the elderly. I try to be open minded and not judge someone until I truly give them a chance, however sometimes it is difficult to do this. I believe if society understood each other better there would be less stereotypes formed concerning other groups of people.
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