Abstract
With growing life expectancy, age-related mental health issues are rising in the elderly. Whether normal aging or pathological senility, mindfulness practices are useful, economic, and accessible. The elderly experience many forms of anxiety with varying severity. There can be stress, anxiety, depression, and negative emotions. Quality of life and sleep, cognitive impairments, chronic pain, decreased social contacts are common concerns of the elderly. There is growing evidence that mindfulness practices mitigate their suffering. This chapter covers details on mindfulness-based tools for the elderly, their practices, exercises, and techniques. The recommended techniques are group-based, participatory, age-appropriate, and reflective. Given the vulnerability of the elderly, the chapter cautions about latent medico-legal and ethical issues in using mindfulness for the elderly. They must be blended with cultural, religious, moral, and spiritual elements to derive optimum benefits for the individual or small groups of such persons. A future road map is given.
TopNormal Aging
Although changes occur in every organ system as one grows old, sensory changes, decline of muscle mass and strength, fat changes, decreased immunity, urologic changes, and slowed down physical functions are characteristic of normal aging. At the psychological or cognitive level, mild short-term memory loss, word-finding difficulties, and slower processing speed are normal parts of aging. Brain aging does not happen at a uniform rate for all the elderly. Genetic and social factors play a protective role in aging. Some common misconceptions about use of mindfulness techniques with elderly are given in (Box 1).
Box 1. Common misconceptions about mindfulness & aging
1. Brain power disappears gradually with age;
2. Aging takes away ones joys and happiness;
3. Older adults are lonely. Use of mindfulness in old age can make one more isolated;
4. Older adults have multiple health conditions;
5. Aging limits one’s ability to learn or practice mindfulness;
6. Practice of mindfulness during old age can be tiring;
7. Mindfulness practice at the far end of one’s life makes no sense;
8. Practice of mindfulness will gradually convert you into Buddhism;
9. Mindfulness is all about sitting still or quiet and emptying the mind;
10. Mindfulness is to do with finding a quiet location without distractions, assuming a posture, and focussing ones attention |
Key Terms in this Chapter
Euthanasia: Also called mercy killing, involves the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma.
Life Expectancy: This is a statistical measure of the number of years a person belonging to a particular population or nation can expectedly live.
Gerontology: This is a science for understanding the process of aging and the challenges encountered as seniors grow old.
Palliative Care: This refers to the care for the terminally ill and their families, especially provided by an organized health service.
Quality of Life: This is a measure of the degree to which an individual is healthy, comfortable, and can participate and enjoy life-events. It is a relative term depending on one's context, culture, and value systems.