The ManicaPost
Dr Mazvita Machinga
Do you know anyone who is above 65 years? Do you know that older adults’ emotional and psychological healths are key ingredients to successful aging. How are you responding to the opportunities, emotional and psychological health challenges you find in the graying of our loved ones. Old age is neither a problem nor an illness. It is an aging, natural and normal process of life.
Do you know that apart from physical needs aging people do have mental health needs .For older adults mental health is not just about the absence of ill health but the promotion of positive health and well-being. This means that for successful aging to take place, older adults’ mental health needs should be addressed and they need to have access to mental health services within our communities.
You and me cannot escape the fact that each one of you reading this article is on the way to aging; may already be an older adult; or has an older adult in their lives. The strides in medical care and improved care practices means that there is an increasingly aging population amongst Zimbabweans.
As I write this article, I am reminded of the wonderful times I spent with my 84-year-old grandmother. At the age of 84 my grandmother was full of energy, life, compassion and wisdom. As she ages, I began to realise that aging is a gift. I also realised that for my 84-year-old grandmother, mental health is as important as physical health.
Those of you who have elderly parents, friends or relatives agree with me that at a greater extend the gift that we get from our older adults is largely their sharing wisdom gained from diverse perspective of many years. Good mental health and positivity contributed greatly to an overall feeling of her well-being. While at old age the physical body aches and wastes away, with sound mental health old age can be a period of continued intellectual, emotional and psychological growth.
From my work experience, I learned that untreated and unaddressed mental health disorders in older adults can lead to diminished functioning, substance abuse, poor quality of life, and increased mortality. So, what must we do to help our elderly loved ones experience successful aging? There are a number of things you need to know and do , thus, the purpose of this article.
In my daily work as a psychotherapist, I am increasingly providing services to elderly people 65 years and above. These older adults come in the company of their families and sometimes on their own. While I have been blessed to work with these important people, I realize that some of them struggle in many ways in particular on issues that have to do with mental health. The common mental health disorders I see are anxiety depression, grief.
These adversely affect their physical health and ability to function, especially in older adulthood. For instance, it is scientifically proven that depression lowers immunity and may compromise a person’s ability to fight infections and other chronic diseases (APA, 2005). Older adults also report various concerns and issues such as losses in later lives. This include grappling with loss of work, loss of spouse and friends , loss of health , loss of independence and loss of children . Physically, some of our older adults begin to waste away.
Because of their coexisting physical conditions, older adults are significantly more likely to seek and accept services in primary care versus specialty mental health care settings (IOM, 2012). Also during the difficult economic period in our nation, older adults report financial difficulties.
During my counselling sessions, I always ask myself, why some of our older adults seem to sharply decline mentally, psychologically and socially in the later years of life, while others seem to grow and expand mentally, psychologically, and socially. I always remind myself that everyone ages slightly differently. But what is similar is that those who maintain sound mental stability, even though their physical body weakens and waste away, enjoy successful aging.
Dr Mazvita Machinga PhD is a qualified Psychotherapist in Mutare. Can be contacted directly for any counselling and psychotherapy needs on [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>, or call 0771 754 519.
