Psychogerontology: what it is, characteristics, functions and areas of work

At the present time, life expectancy has increased markedly compared to past eras and is expected to continue to increase considerably in the past. coming decades thanks to advances in the field of medicine and other health specialties, in the area of ​​education, technology and science.

On the other hand, the high prevalence of elderly people poses new challenges for healthcare professionals. health as there is a greater number of cases with different pathologies, among which are health mental.

Within this framework, psychogerontology and psychogeriatrics have become increasingly relevant due to its great importance in helping from the field of psychology to promote well-being and improve the quality of life of the elderly. That is why this article will briefly explain what this specialty of the field of psychology consists of.

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What is psychogerontology?

Psychogerontology is a specialty of the field of psychology and

psychiatry that has been gaining greater importance in the 21st century so that psychologists can meet the demands of a population with a increasing prevalence of the elderly.

This discipline is focused on the research and study of the aging of people and the use of intervention and treatment methods that help to prevent and / or delay cognitive decline and also promote good mental health and well-being of the elderly, as well as their relatives.

When performing the intervention in these cases, it is most convenient for it to be in a family, social and community context that fits as closely as possible to their daily life.

This specialty of psychology is normally carried out by a multidisciplinary team composed of psychologists, geriatricians and psychiatrists, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and health auxiliaries, all of them specialized in the field of gerontology, who work with a biopsychosocial model adapted to the needs of each patient.

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Functions of psychogerontology professionals

A psychogerontologist has the fundamental objective of promote good mental health, to the extent possible, during the aging process of the people you serve.

It is important to note that today it is known that the human brain has a plasticity that allows people to learn throughout their lives, so that when As they age, they are still capable of optimizing their physical and cognitive capacities and, by adapting their environment according to their needs, they can compensate those faculties that are in slope.

In addition, treatments in the field of psychogerontology aimed at promoting physical activity (through regular physical exercise in a light way), mental (through Tasks that require the use of cognitive faculties, such as memory) and emotional (through psychological support and promoting their own emotional regulation capacities) have displayed highly effective in the advancement of biopsychosocial functioning of elderly people.

Among the functions of psychogerontology professionals are the following:

• Evaluation, treatment and accompaniment of elderly people.
• Help family members and caregivers of the elderly.
• Psychoeducational programs for the prevention of pathologies and the promotion of an active old age.
• Family mediation.
• Teaching through courses and postgraduate courses for future psychogerontology professionals.
• Promote active learning throughout life in order to prevent cognitive decline.
• Retirement preparation and adaptation programs for people who are close to that stage.

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Who is helped in the area of ​​psychogerontology?

In the field of psychorentology It works mainly with the elderly, although it also tends to facilitate a better evolution in the process when working with their caregivers and / or relatives.

It is also important to adapt the context in which the older people with whom the intervention is carried out live and carry out their daily activities, so that it is possible to develop in a facilitating environment that helps make available the necessary resources in your environment so that you can face your day-to-day life in the best possible way. All this with the help of family members and / or caregivers.

1. Elderly people

The population in which psychogerontology is fundamentally focused are the elderly and the approach varies depending on the degree of autonomy of the people that is usually related to their physical health and mental.

1.1 Primary aging: normative

People who are going through a normative aging process, the changes suffered are usually progressive and very common, since they occur in anyone after a certain age, although he is in good health, due to the passing of the years. In these cases, they usually have levels of psychological, physical and social functioning adjusted to their age.

In these cases, the role of psychogerontologists is oriented towards primary prevention, which consists of promoting active aging by giving these people a series of exercises and tasks that maintain their brain and active bodies in order to remain as independent as possible and to prevent possible physical deterioration and cognitive.

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1.2 Secondary or tertiary aging: non-normative or pathological

This aging process is suffered by those people of an advanced age and, sometimes, not so advanced, for which their psychological, physical and social capacities are impaired to the point of not being appropriate for their age, in a way that limits their autonomy. For example, it occurs in older people who develop the Alzheimer disease.

In these cases, the objective of psychogerontology professionals would be focused on a type of secondary or tertiary prevention, in function of the level of impairment of the person to be treated, in order to promote the greatest possible well-being by setting a series of tasks, both in the consultation or center and to perform at home, to avoid further physical and cognitive deterioration, and that can improve your quality of life.

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2. Caregivers and / or relatives of the elderly

In the field of psychogerontology, it is important to also work with caregivers and family members who live with or are in charge of an elderly person. Especially if that person is suffering from a pathological physical and cognitive impairment that prevents them from having autonomy according to her age.

With the caregivers of the elderly, it is of great help that they carry out continuous training with professionals simultaneously with treatment with the person they care for. In this training, it must be ensured that caregivers learn a series of accompanying guidelines that facilitate the performance of tasks entrusted by professionals to the elderly, in order to promote their autonomy and prevent a deterioration of their physical capacities and mental.

Said guidelines must be adapted depending on whether the care of the elderly person is carried out at their home or in a institutional center, such as a nursing home, where available resources and help are different.

What's more, It is important to give psychoeducation to both family members and caregivers of the elderly, where the way in which normative and pathological aging should be developed is explained in a comprehensive manner. Likewise, if your family member or person they care for is suffering from pathological aging, it would be necessary to explain to them in what It consists of the pathologies that they are suffering and the way to treat and delay their evolution, teaching them the guidelines that they must follow to help in the process.

It is also essential provide psychological support to all the people with whom the treatment process is carried out (elderly people with or without pathologies, family members and caregivers).

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Areas of professional performance

Intervention in the field of psychogerontology can be carried out in various contexts, highlighting these as the most common:

• Private clinics.
• Health centers and hospitals.
• Residences for the elderly.
• Address of the person with whom the intervention and support are carried out.
• Centers subsidized by the local council.
• Psychogerontology Association Centers.
• Retiree Association Center.
• Universities of experience for seniors.
• Research centers oriented to the field of psychogerontology.

Finally, it is important to comment that there are other names to refer to the area of ​​mental health professionals specialized in treating older people (psychogeriatrics, psychiatry or geriatric psychology and gerontopsychiatry) and that, at present, have not yet been highlighted the differences between them, giving rise to possible confusion, in a way that many times they are used indistinctly.