Geriatric Patients' Anxiety Management

Geriatric Patients' Anxiety Management

Introduction

The purpose of this ROL is to expand the boundaries of our knowledge by exploring some relevant facts and figures relating to geriatric patients' anxiety management. The appropriate management of anxiety in Geriatric patients is important for their health and well being. Depression and anxiety is a common geriatric syndrome which produces high degree of disability and increased mortality (directly and indirectly by comorbidity with other diseases) in the geriatric population. Anxiety and worry is natural for people of all ages, the disease or risk causing us some concern, but these feelings on a regular basis have a negative impact on the well-being and social relationships of the Geriatric patients (Flint, 1994). In the section, the author will discover what is known & what is not known about geriatric patients' anxiety management in the first year, after the death of their spouse.

Discussion & Analysis

A geriatric patient is a person over the age of 60-65 years. These patients often experience various types of diseases, which impact their social and personal life. The first type, are diseases which run differently, and unusually for the aging process. While off-aging is a disease that is typical in the period of old age. These include dementia, osteoporosis, falls, loss of sphincter and in patients lying - bedsores, anxiety, depression etc. For such a patient staff must have a holistic approach in the diagnosis, and treatment. In order to overcome the impact of the disease, these patient requires close care or assistance of another person (Dombrovski, 2007). Most commonly, a geriatric patient is affected by a disorder, refferred as, “Anxiety”. In the next section, the author will conduct an in-depth analysis relating to the phenomenon of anxiety and its impact on geriatric patients.

Anxiety in Geriatric Patients

Anxious depression in elderly patients is seen as an episode of major depression, which may be facilitated by adverse events such as death of spouse , which may simultaneously, lead the development of significant anxiety after some time (1 year). This presentation which is seen in almost 65% of patients, is common because the anxiety and depressive symptoms overlap and share similar risk factors. However, the incidence of this combination varies substantially from one job to another. The most common anxiety disorders in this context are phobias and generalized anxiety disorder.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is the kind of anxiety that develops after a traumatic event that is associated with physical harm or danger to the loved ones. For example robbery, rape, accidents, natural disasters or war. Psychological symptoms can last for several months to several year, some individuals may experience the trauma of 30 years. A person with such an injury may lose interest in pleassurable activities and move away from familiar. They may exhibit irritability or aggression and can be tormented by vivid memories of the trauma in the form of repetitive dreams (Dew, 1997).

Concurrent anxiety means more serious psychiatric disorders in adult subjects with depression, after the death of their ...