New Delhi: Addressing the mental health needs of the elderly age group is quite important as their emotional health is often overlooked. The major barriers that have to be overcome to address the mental health challenges of the elderly include breaking the stigma, creating awareness, and raising the accessibility of psychiatric care. Aging comes with a lot of emotional and psychological turmoil that deeply impacts mental health. But these age-related barriers need to be broken for our elderly to survive in a conducive environment.
In an interaction with News9Live, Dr Ashish Bansal MD, Consultant Psychiatrist and co-founder of House of Aesthetics in New Delhi, spoke about the importance of holistic care for the preservation of mental health among the elderly.
Role of a psychiatrist in improving mental health
Psychiatrists are trained well in the understanding of mental health challenges that are faced by the elderly due to the body’s neurological and physiological changes that come with advancing age.
- Holistic care: A psychiatrist can offer holistic care wherein he gets into the depth of his client’s emotional needs, psychological and physical health, and drug use and its side effects. By gaining enough knowledge, he then guides his elderly clients about looking at life with a positive mindset, leaving the negative thoughts behind about death.
- Customised treatment plan: Psychiatrists are well equipped to guide their clients about the correct therapy mode they deserve. They aid in curating an individualised treatment plan that encompasses medication doses and therapies needed for behavioural and mindset changes.
- Therapies: If elderly people are unwilling to consume prescribed drugs, a psychologist can assist them with certain non-pharmacological therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), group therapy, family therapy, etc. These therapies help to improve mental health status, without the side effects of consuming prescription drugs.
Aamish Dhingra, ICF- PCC certified life coach, and Co-Founder of Cocoweave Coaching International, Delhi, spoke about the relevance of a life coach for the elderly.
Life coaching for the elderly
The main purpose of a life coach is to guide its clients to not think of aging as an endpoint, but the beginning of a new chapter of life that welcomes new opportunities and explores new realms of self-discovery.
- Positive outlook towards life: A life coach plays a crucial role in the life of disappointed elders by changing their outlook towards life from limiting thoughts to empowering mindset. If their age demands retirement from life chores, it is a new beginning for engagement in hobbies, traveling, self-care, self-discovery etc.
- Mindfulness techniques for managing stress: Life coaches play a significant role in the lives of elderly by educating them about techniques that help them to stay grounded such as deep breathing exercises, gratitude practice and journaling, meditation, etc.
- Social involvement: Most seniors feel a sense of detachment from their social circles as they experience the emotions of resentment and lack of physical strength with their advancing age. But this has to be overcome with a positive outlook towards life and shifting the focus from isolation towards rebuilding social bonds.
You can age with happiness and elegance if you gather the courage to break the age barriers and go for holistic health above everything. If awareness is spread amongst the masses regarding the need to remove the stigma around mental health for the elderly, it can go a long way in helping seniors by allowing them to seek help! This will not only improve their quality of life but will also aid in breaking the barriers that the elderly population faces.
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