Psychological changes

According to the law of nature, as people get older, first of all, their physical (human physiology) changes, along with psychological changes.

Senior Citizen(NCT) are valuable assets of society because in the process of living and working, they have accumulated a lot of rich experiences. However, when they get older, they have changes in psychology and physiology to adapt and have a lifestyle appropriate to their age.

Physiological changes

The older you are, the slower your reflexes become:

Unlike when they were young, the elderly often have very slow reflexes, including communication. When we need to discuss something, listening and recording the problem is very slow and it takes a long time to give an answer. Therefore, when communicating with the elderly, we need to be patient, speak slowly and clearly so that they can hear and have the correct answer. In the case of the elderly who are hard of hearing, we need to be even more patient.

In daily activities, due to slow walking and slow reactions, the elderly need a lot of time for any problem when there is movement and preparation, including eating and moving. Therefore, before eating and moving, it is necessary to inform the elderly as soon as possible so that they can prepare. It is necessary to avoid gestures and words that make the elderly feel hurt and sad.

Old people forget very quickly:

However, it is necessary to distinguish between normal slowness and forgetfulness in the elderly and dementia, because slowness and forgetfulness are normal physiological problems of the elderly, while dementia is a disease caused by damage to the central nervous system.

Susceptible to disease:

Due to the aging of the body's organs and the body's immune system being weakened, the elderly are often susceptible to diseases such as flu, pneumonia, especially pneumonia which is a very dangerous disease for the elderly because it causes cardiovascular disease in the elderly and is a disease with a high mortality rate in the elderly. Due to significant physiological changes, the elderly's response to illness is no longer strong, so the symptoms of the disease are often unclear, making it easier to become seriously ill than in young people. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention, take care and observe carefully to detect changes in the elderly early for timely care and treatment.

Often fall:

This is a very dangerous characteristic of the elderly because of weak legs and reduced ability to maintain balance. Therefore, preventing falls for the elderly is an issue that must be given great attention, such as not letting them go up and down stairs or the house should not be arranged in a way that is inconvenient for walking. In the elderly, falling is extremely dangerous, especially when there is a fracture, and a broken femur is a nightmare.

Change of mind

In addition to physical and physiological changes, psychology is also a very important issue for the elderly because in all stages of life, old age is the stage when people do not have to do anything to build their lives but rather enjoy the results of previous achievements. In addition, the elderly begin to feel that they are no longer as useful as before and become overly worried, leading to psychological disturbances such as depression or becoming anxious or suspicious.

The elderly always want more care and attention:

From losing the abilities they had such as not being able to drive, not being able to cook or take care of their own personal hygiene, and having to depend on others, they worry excessively and always demand attention and care from their children, and easily become grumpy when their children are slow to meet their needs.

Very afraid of loneliness:

It is easy for the elderly to feel abandoned and forgotten because of the gap between their youth and old age. Therefore, they are easily frustrated and dependent on their children. Therefore, we need to act tactfully to avoid making them feel rejected or mistreated.

Worrying:

This is a psychological characteristic of the elderly, due to slow thinking and the feeling of being dependent on others, the elderly are always worried and anxious about things that are sometimes unnecessary. Because of this anxiety, the elderly often repeat requests, demands or questions and from there can make their children or close relatives become annoyed and grumpy with them if they do not understand the psychology of the elderly.

Easily moved, self-pitying:

Elderly people are easily self-conscious because they think they are "useless" people, so when their needs or requests are not fully or quickly met by their children, they easily feel sad and hurt because they have spent most of their life taking care of and worrying about their children with the dream of being repaid in their old age but it does not go as planned.

Prone to depression:

When having unrealized dreams and being dissatisfied with their lives, the elderly are susceptible to depression and become difficult and harsh with their children.

In addition, the top concern of the elderly, whether they say it or not, is still the concern about death. Some people are very comfortable discussing this issue, have clear arrangements for their funeral, but there are also people who are very taboo, afraid of bad luck.

According to Health & Life - NT