Psychosocial Assessment in Human Resources

Human Resource: Psychosocial Assessment

A psychosocial assessment analyzes a person’s social and mental abilities that contribute to his well-being. It ascertains whether an individual has the required abilities to function well in society and whether he needs help to gain optimal health goals. This paper aims at providing psychosocial assessment results for an individual I know. Based on my field placement in human service, I would like to select one of my family members to conduct an interview and complete a psychosocial assessment. My grandfather is one of those people who have disabilities, which means his one leg does not work, and he is in a wheelchair most of the time.

The interview’s overall experience and general impressions of my grandfather indicated satisfaction with his life. He considered one of his biggest contents that his family did not abandon him to a nursing home. He had his loved ones around him who took good care of him. Although he sometimes felt alone when his son and family went out to have family time, and due to grandfather’s disability, he could not join them as a normal individual.

He found his disability a barrier that kept him from fully mingling with his family. It was also because he thought he would be a burden on them, even in their family time when they would have to help him and take care rather than entirely enjoying on their own. He preferred to stay at home rather than being a source of worry for them in their leisure time. This was only when he felt alone as the grandmother is also not present, the basic source of support and a life partner at the elderly.

Research has suggested that having a life partner or spouse increases the mental well-being of older adults, and they enjoy life better, contributing to a higher quality of life (Wright & Brown, 2017). It is even interesting to note in studies that women do not exhibit more depressive symptoms in such times of loneliness as they remain engaged in other home activities. At the same time, men are more affected by this factor because my grandfather is disabled.

There are several sections included in the psychosocial assessment, such as family history, psychiatric history, medical or surgical history, cultural and financial facts, coping skills, developmental history and interests, and abilities, etc. (Swerdlow, Morano & Morano, 2015, p. 50). After conducting the interview and psychosocial assessment for my grandfather, I assessed that his psychological functioning is fine except that he feels aloof and distant from his family sometimes and that too, majorly due to his disability.

Although he is satisfied with the way they usually take care of him at home, he still feels lonely and more likely feels the absence of his life partner. He does not have any apparent behavioral disturbances as he is polite and does not become aggressive when matters are not on his side. He has neither a substance abuse history nor is an alcoholic. His family members are healthy and are equally involved with his grandparents within the home environment.

Even the safety needs assessment within this evaluation showed positive household conditions for his living. The availability of technology for health safety is with him at all times of the day. Hence, it is deduced that loneliness due to his disability and absence of a life partner are the two main reasons he feels socially isolated. Studies indicate that loneliness could be considered equivalent to social isolation as aloneness is undeniably due to deficiencies in social relations (Stokes, 2016).

There is a lack of intimate or strong social ties that could be a source of fortification for the cognitive well-being of older adults so that their desires and needs could be fulfilled at this crucial age of life. According to evidence-based practices and relevant literature, it is suggested that health promotion interventions for the elderly should be conducted in which educational and social activity intermediations should be included (Fakoya, McCorry & Donnelly, 2020).

The recommendations for the individual based on the gathered information include inviting a friend from the neighborhood of the same age over to the house when the family is out for their own time. Also, it could be suggested that the family take the grandfather with them on alternate turns, which means the family takes grandfather with them, and the next Sunday, they invite a friend over to keep him company. Since technology has infiltrated our lives more than we had expected a few years back, grandfather could be involved in educational groups with the help of online meetings, such as library discussion groups, if he has an interest in political or historical books, for instance.

My thoughts and ideas about the overall impression of the interview and assessment are that the interventions meant to alleviate social isolation for the elderly have a different impact for different individuals, based on whether they are individually targeted or for groups, and whether what type of social group or ethnicity they are aimed at.

Since we are an American family, the intervention for keeping the disabled, older adults engaged is not a problem. This is also because we belong to a financially well-off family and have access to a sound healthcare system as compared to African American families in our country who are said to have barriers to appropriate mental healthcare for the elderly and disabled individuals, also due to low socioeconomic status and fewer employment opportunities (Becker & Newsom, 2003).