Future Changes and Challenges within the Elderly Population

Introduction
The elderly population, like every other population in the world today, can benefit from changes that have occurred in the world thanks to technological revolutions. The Internet, for instance, has allowed a virtual world to emerge that rivals the real world in terms of social opportunities. News spreads instantly thanks to the Internet, and people can communicate with one another and retrieve information more easily today than at any point in human history. Technology can thus be used to address some of the changes and challenges within the elderly population today. Those changes and challenges include changes in environment as the population moves into assisted living and combating isolation and depression, which can occur in this population. Likewise, because of the nature of the globalized world it is more likely that this population will be more diverse than it has been in the past, which means there will be a greater need for understanding among the elderly as they share community living spaces though they may come from different ethnic or cultural backgrounds (Baker, 2014). This paper will address the changes and challenges that the elderly face and show how technology can be used as a tool to help the elderly overcome these challenges and cope with these changes in an effective manner.
Future Changes and Challenges
A New Environment
One of the biggest changes that the elderly population will face as it ages is dealing with a new environment. The elderly population is likely to be very used to the way things are, the surroundings they have grown up with and that they are familiar with. However, as they age, they are no longer able to care for themselves and so they need assisted living help. This means they will typically move to an assisted living location, where their surroundings will change. The environment will be different and they will have to make adjustments. They will not have many of the old familiar sights and sounds. They may feel dislocated from their own lives. A new environment can be a major change for the elderly.
Diversity in the Community
As a result of the globalized world that technology and the ability to travel has brought, the elderly population is set to be more diverse today than ever before (Moore & Rosenberg, 2001). This is a reality that can present some challenges for the elderly population as well. The elderly may not understand how to communicate with or think of people who are of a different culture or ethnicity. They may not know that they have different expectations and ways of looking at life, friendship, religion or politics. Understanding these differences and maintaining a respectful and friendly attitude can be a challenge for some.
The Threat of Ageism
As so much of today’s culture is focused on youth and youth culture, ageism—i.e., discrimination against the elderly—can become a particular problem for many (Tapia, 2015). Not only do some nurses and family members suffer from ageism without realizing it, the elderly themselves can suffer from it, often resenting the fact that they are getting older while others are young and are still able to enjoy themselves and their youthful spirits. Ageism can be a particularly challenging issue to address because there are a great deal of psychological and emotional hurdles that may need to be overcome in order for individuals to understand that aging is not a bad thing and that there are plenty of ways in which the elderly can still contribute to the community or enjoy having meaningful lives (Brojeni, Ilali, Taraghi & Mousavinasab, 2019).
Living with Disability
As the body ages, however, it can begin to wear down. The mind may begin to slip as well, as issues like dementia and Alzheimer’s can develop. Living with a disability can be very trying for the elderly and those who care for them. Thus, disability is often seen as a major challenge for the elderly population as well (Aging and Disability Services, 2013).
Dealing with Isolation and Depression
Another major challenge is the issue of dealing with isolation and depression that comes with aging. Many times the elderly are left alone for long hours of the day or for days on end with no social or human contact. They begin to feel abandoned, cut off from the rest of the world (Cornwell & Waite, 2009). They can experience withdrawal, slip into depression, and entire into a downward spiraling health condition (Landeiro, Barrows, Musson, Gray & Leal, 2017). Coping with isolation and depression and finding ways to address effectively this challenge can be one of the more pressing needs of the elderly community.
Considerations for Implementing an “Assistant Living Home” Based on Technology, Housing Options, Transportation, Resources and Socialization
As the landscape changes and technological advancements are made, the need to implement assistant living home help based on technology, housing options, transportation, resources and socialization needs amplifies. The key to these considerations has to be keeping in mind the changes and challenges that are most likely to affect the population. At the top of this list therefore is the issue of social isolation and its negative effects
How to Address Social Isolation and Its Negative Effects
An Assistant Living Home should use technology to help the elderly population address issues of social isolation and its negative effects. For example, the Internet can be a great tool that the elderly can use to engage with the wider world. They can read, connect with others, send messages, engage in video chats, establish social media profiles and use various social media platforms to make friends and see pictures of old friends and loved ones (White et al., 1999).
Social isolation and the negative effects that follow, such as depression and withdrawal, comes about when the elderly person ceases to be engaged by the world around him or ceases to actively seek engagement. Social isolation can be caused by lack of access to a community, lack of comfort, or lack of understanding. Technology like the Internet and other computer devices, such as tablets, iPads, and mobile phones, can be used by the elderly to overcome the problem of social isolation and prevent its negative effects from taking a toll. For that reason, providing members in an assisted living home with access to the Internet with use of computers, iPads, phones and so on, can be a great help in assisting the elderly with facing social isolation and avoiding depression or withdrawal.
Offering transportation for the elderly can also be a positive assistance in addressing social isolation. The elderly, because of degeneration in their physical condition, may not be able to drive or walk far, but they may still like to get out and experience the world. Arranging traveling tours, providing transportation to events in town, and allowing them the means to see sights in the community can be another way to combat social isolation.
Housing options to consider for combatting socialization and isolation issues can include living in an assisted living home where there are many inviting and pleasant community spaces where the elderly can interact. These spaces can allow the elderly to interact with one another.
Ways to Empower the Elderly
There are multiple ways to empower the elderly when they are living in an assisted living home. One of them is to teach them new ways of dealing with life at their age and provide them with new interests that they may like to cultivate—such as gardening, knitting, painting, listening to music, going for walks, watching television, surfing the Internet, or communicating with others via social media. The best way to empower them is to train them in the new ways of acting and thinking so that they do not become too focused on their own disabilities or limitations, so that they do not become isolated and withdrawn, and so that they do not end up sitting alone day after day as though there were nothing left for them to experience or for them to contribute to the world.
Empowerment can come in many forms. Some of those forms can include simply providing access to support groups for the elderly. Whenever the elderly population can get together to reminisce, talk about things past, commiserate with one another, or engage in any type of social interaction it is generally a positive input for them (Baker, 2014). This is the essence of community-based care, which should be a foundation in any assisted living organization.
Community-based care provides those who live in an assisted living home with a system of interaction that brings family members, community members, care providers into one integrated whole. Using community-based care is not only efficient in terms of health it is also efficient in terms of cost. Because it relies as it does on volunteers to make it work, community-base care provides the assistance and support that the elderly need with very little overhead required.
Another to empower the elderly population is to give them the tools they need to continue to have fun and enjoy themselves. For example, one great technological innovation in recent years has been the Nintendo Wii, which allows people to “play” sports indoors using handheld devices through simulation software. Plays can use their controllers and conduct the swinging motion to simulate taking a golf swing, swinging a tennis racket, bowling a bowling ball, and so on. Each game allows the elderly person to play as though he or she were playing in real life—but the Wii allows the person to do it from home. Thus, even if the elderly person cannot get out to enjoy life, the Wii allows the person to get up, have exercise, and play in the virtual world (Kahlbaugh, Sperandio, Carlson & Hauselt, 2011).
Community Resources and Outreach Programs Available
There are a variety of resources and outreach programs that are available to the assisted living organization. These include:
· Reminiscence group therapy
· Videoconferencing
· Animal-assisted therapy
· Visitor volunteer programs
· Wii playing programs
· Surfing the Internet programs
· Indoor gardening programs
Each of these programs is available through a number of different venues and each can serve as a source of empowerment for the elderly population.
Reminiscence group therapy is a program that can be provided at the assistant living home with the use of volunteer professionals who guide a group gathering of elderly people with a themed focus on a specific event in their lives or memories of the past. The event theme could be service during WWII, or remembering the Vietnam Era, or something of that nature. The purpose behind this type of program is that reminiscing about the past can be a positive way for the elderly to look back on and reflect on their own lives and experiences and be at peace with where they are now. As Liu, Lin, Chen and Huang (2007) show, it also “gives elderly people a chance to provide support to others” (p. 133). By looking back on their lives, the elderly can see that they have done well for themselves and they can take pleasure in speaking about the past and listening to and connecting with others in the group.
Animal-assisted therapy programs can be provided as well. Animals typically bring people great joy and can enhance in the well-being and stave off depression or withdrawal. When animals are brought to see people, a connection is made between the elderly and nature in a way that is not frequently possible because of the age of the elderly and their lack of mobility. Animals bring a vital spirit and energy to the environment that can pique the interest of the population and uplift their own spirits (Banks, Willoughby & Banks, 2008).
Visitor volunteer programs and indoor gardening programs can also be ways to help empower the assisted living community and give elderly people an opportunity to socialize. Visitor volunteer programs exist to enable volunteers from the community to visit the elderly, talk to them, read to them or listen to their stories. The elderly enjoy the visits, and the volunteers enjoying giving back time to the community in this manner. Gardening programs also work to bring pleasure and excitement to the community by giving the elderly an opportunity to interact with nature, cultivate plants, and grow flowers or crops.
All of the above-mentioned programs can be found in the community and cost very little in terms of overhead. Meanwhile the benefits can be enormous. They can cut down on the risk of social isolation, and they can improve the well-being and mental and physical health of the elderly person. By keeping the elderly active, engaged, and recollected, the population can feel more empowered, happier, contented, and at peace with where they are in life.
Conclusion
The elderly population will face a number of changes and challenges as they age, such as changes in environment, changes in community, changes in health and mobility, and changes in their own interests and activities. They will face challenges such as declining health, inability to get around like they used to, and the risk of ageism and isolation. The key to addressing these changes and challenges in a positive manner is to use technology and community-based care to help bridge the gap between the wider world and the assisted living home.
References
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