Life Transition on Older People

Life Transition on Older People

Introduction

Older adults are faced with various challenges as they attempt to transition to a new lifestyle. In most instances, older adults plan for their old age and how they intend to live after retirement. However, at times it is difficult to plan and circumstances can lead to a change in lifestyle. For instance, loss of employment or unplanned retirement can greatly influence how older adults face the world. The role played by nurses in helping older adults transition and get comfortable in a new living style cannot be ignored. Therefore, it is crucial to look into various aspects that affect older people.

Living in a familiar environment is a crucial aspect held dearly by aging persons facing retirement. Illnesses are prone to occur among older people because their immunity is weak. Providing  retiring older patients with necessary observation and treatment is paramount for allowing a peaceful transition without increased stress. On many occasions, older patients have been neglected by their caregivers, nurses, or family members leading to anxiety and depression. It is highly essential to consider challenges that family members go through as they focus on taking care of relatives facing retirement. Sometimes the efforts by family members may not prove enough for sustainability due to various aspects including time, and financial constraints among others. Nurses and caregivers undergo challenges as well. In this regard, it is highly essential to explore the impact of life transition among retiring older adults, their loved ones and nurses.

Discussion

Various studies continue to be explored concerning the ideal care that should be offered to older adults in helping them effectively transition to a new lifestyle. One of the crucial areas of interest involves retirement. The process of growing old does not happen in a day. It is impossible to qualify a person to have become old based on celebrating a birthday. The accumulation of many living years, however, remains a significant parameter of defining older adults. People in their 65 years old are categorized differently from the younger ones and usually retire at that age. The productivity of older adults in society through economic activities tends to slow down as they retire.

Existential, Psychosocial, and Familial Responses

The existence of older adults during their retirement transition is faced by many challenges. The majority of friends and family members tend to isolate themselves from retiring older adults especially if they are having certain problems. Care giving in hospitals also makes it difficult for older adults to constructively interact with the people they know. In this regard, it is crucial to teach nurses various means of helping such a generation to transition effectively. Economic aspects are very challenging, especially after retirement. Retired older adults survive with a limited budget because they can never work and support their needs especially if they had not saved a substantial amount for survival after retirement. The loneliness experienced by retired older adults may lead to anxiety, depression and in acute cases suicide. According to Kaplan and Berkman (2019), older men are more highly to commit suicide due to loneliness and economic challenges than women. The death of a loved one among retiring older adults causes further depression leading to more anguish. For example, the death of a spouse for retiring older adults may cause confusion in life leading to loneliness, anxiety and depression.  Specialized treatment is crucial for retiring older adults experiencing such problems. Unfortunately, the majority of doctors are more concerned about treating depression cases among younger generations than older adults.

Familial aspects cannot be ignored when addressing older adults. Family members are usually strained economically for taking care of unproductive retired older adults. Some cases are characterized by impatience among family members for supporting their loved ones.  As provided by Kar (2017), older adults feel disrespected and not valued by the most important people in their lives. Such a feeling can result in more pain including anxiety and the need to die and stop living as beggars in their homes. Some family members are not supportive and may result in abusing retiring older adults. Nursing homes are essential parts of supporting retired older adults and helping them transition effectively. Family members may be unwilling to pay for applicable fees due to economic strive or neglect.

Psychosocial matters are very crucial for any person. Retirement separates older adults from environments they are well versed with leading to a feeling of rejection and disregard in society. According to Lau et al. (2019), dementia is a common problem that affects many older adults including the retiring ones. Failure to recognize some important aspects of work, society and life among retiring older adults may result in devastation and a feeling of uselessness on earth. Nurses and close people play a special role in helping retiring older adults deal with such issues. Participating in social aspects allows retiring older adults to feel appreciated and valued in society.

Significance of the Topic

The significance of this topic is highly regarded because every human being requires care giving when there is a need. Retiring older adults cannot take care of themselves effectively without the help of their loved ones and professional nurses. According to human right declaration noted by Inbadas, Zaman, Whitelaw, and Clark (2016), every person is granted equal rights in the society and humane treatment should be applied in that regard. Every young person desires to live long and achieve set targets. Unfortunately, becoming old catches up with people faster than they suppose. The role played by nurses to help retiring older adults to transition is crucial for mental and physical stability. Close family members should also undergo counseling to understand how they should treat retiring older adults.

            Significance of the Study Based on Mental Health of Older Adults

One of the most significant aspects of this study is to note how retiring older adults are understood due to their health. Mental health is a crucial aspect that dictates the direction of the life of any human being. According to Shiba, Kondo, Kondo, and Kawachi (2017), order adults suffer a lot of mental issues when trying to transition to new states of life. Retirement among older adults can be voluntary or due to the loss of a job. Mentally unstable persons cannot effectively fit in crucial dockets that require decisions making. The majority of older adults aged 65 years and above is not actively involved in managing organizations. However, some of them are capable and still manage firms with the assistance of their juniors. Technological changes across the globe have made it important to include young generations in shaping organizations due to their vast knowledge and experience in technology. A study conducted by Shiba, Kondo, Kondo, and Kawachi (2017) showed that older adults are prone to depression after retirement. Changes that occur after retirement are not easy to cope with especially if the retiree does not have a good support system. Men are usually more prone to psychological adverse effects after retirement. Counseling is a crucial aspect that is done by various professionals in helping retirees fit well in life away from the job. Unfortunately, changes in social, economic, and political aspects may hinder the successful interaction of retired persons with the life they are not used to face.  As noted by Osborne (2012), psychological aspects highly affect retiring people. Matters such as self-actualization, changing social structure, and end of life after retirement may cause victims to suffer depression. Care should therefore be provided to affected people to ensure healthy brain. According to Dave, Rashad, and Spasojevic (2006), various empirical studies have proved that older adults experience reduced mental health after retirement. The most affected group involves people who retire involuntarily without proper preparation.

Nurses and doctors are trained about care giving to older adults experiencing adverse mental health after retirement. The problem occurs when the factors causing such mental adverse health are not clear and cannot be properly traced. Married people react differently from unmarried ones when dealing with such occasions. The death of a spouse highly affects older adults after retirement. Most men do not hold on to the situation of being left by a loved one including a spouse. Hallucinations, dementia, anxiety, and depression among others are common aspects that affect retirees after changing their lifestyles (Mitchell, Erbes & Arbisi, 2019). One of the crucial aspects to uncover is that retirees are usually faced with a new structure of life whose closest thing is death. Therefore, some of them luck the will to accumulate more wealth. Also, retirees may not have enough resources including money to live a stable life due to reduced income leading to stress. Management of one’s resources becomes difficult due to old age and the strength of handling multiple projects.

            Significance of the Study Based on Physical Health of Retiring Older Adults

Body structure and organs are highly sensitive and affect older adults including the retiring ones. Physical strength usually reduces including muscles’ abilities as a person grows old. Diseases such as heart attack, cancer, diabetes, and dementia, among others are highly common among older people. According to Miller (2018), older adults require a close physical examination to check their physical features for stability. Movement among retiring older adults reduces due to a lack of strength. The management of estates becomes a difficult task for such people as well. Some retired older adults engage in part-time jobs including managing their businesses, among others. The ability to effectively handle difficult tasks at work reduces as a person grows old. The possibility of contracting avoidable diseases is high among retiring older adults because their immune system weakens. As established by Aspinall et al. (2017), various studies show nurses are well trained to deal with the changing physical features of older people. Nursing therapeutics (NT) play a crucial role to help older adults to effectively transition without attracting major health concerns. However, it is impossible to always manage the situation. More studies are encouraged to focus on policy measures that health sectors can put in place to avoid deterioration of health aspects among older adults as they transition.

Assessment and Intervention of Nurses to Help Retiring Order Adults and Family Members

Nursing is critical in helping retiring older adults and their family members effectively deal with the transition. The first proposed change that should be looked into is to ensure diagnoses of retiring older adults for thorough information that can help them in managing their lives. Some of the older adults experiencing retirement have a good educational background. It is crucial to understand the level of education, previous work done, physical and mental health, social, economic, and political aspects, among others. The importance of understanding such aspects is based on the notion that, people react differently to health care and their background information is crucial for managing their health concerns. As noted by Hazzard et al. (1994), performing diagnosis of close relatives and understanding any family health condition that could be hereditary is crucial as well. The next step should involve generative, supportive and protective measures. Many of the retirees suffer from various physical and mental health aspects noted in this study. Immediate counseling of transitioning from working to retirement environment should be discussed by nurses with older adults and close relatives.

Retirees usually are confused about how to adopt in a home environment especially if they were used to working. A psychological intervention by a nurse can help in making the older retirees understand that they are just getting into another vital phase of life and what to expect to emerge. Sharing information with close relatives involving how to take care of the retiree is essential to avoid misunderstanding. The most important aspect to note involves physical and mental matters expected as the retiree grows older. Insisting on providing a hospitable environment is vital for retiree’s benefit. Aspects such as anger, anxiety, and stress management among others should be taught to the retiree to effectively transition and lead a healthy life. Constant health check-ups should be proposed to facilitate timely diagnosis of any mental or physical body changes. The role played by religious and cultural groups is highly regarded in this study. Any attempt to introduce new religious or cultural beliefs should be discouraged. A nurse should focus on helping the older person based on his needs including spiritual and cultural practices. As provided by Hazzard et al. (1994), a generative nursing recommendation can be provided to an elderly person having health issues and ensure a close observation by a nurse or caregiver. Family members and the patient should agree on the best option including nursing home or receiving care from the home to avoid loneliness and dissatisfaction by the order patient.

The application of proposed aspects for retiring older adults and their families can highly impact the outcome. Ensuring proper diagnosis would help focus on the current and possible aspects that may arise in the older person or family member during retirement transition. Economic, social, and political discussion with the older person and family members can greatly help them prepare for the future including possible medical costs that may be involved. A focus on the retiring older adult’s social and religious choices is crucial because such an approach would be a relief and comfort during any trying moment. Allowing the family and patient to discuss the right place for staying during old age is vital because it assures the two parties that none of them is overburdened. Chances of stress and depression will have been mitigated.

Conclusion

The importance of exploring the impact of life transition among retiring older adults, their loved ones and nurses cannot be ignored in society. Retiring older adults undergo various trying moments as they transition from working to retirement. As noted in this study, retiring older adults are exposed to physical and mental health aspects that should be sparingly addressed. The study has focused on understanding the various transition aspects faced by older adults. Of importance to note include existential, familial, and psychosocial aspects. Various examples have been provided involving the challenges that older adults experience when undergoing retirement. The provided recommendations are vital for ensuring the protection of human rights for all in society. Family members of retiring older adults also undergo different challenges especially when they have to take care of their loved ones. Retiring older adults are exposed to different illnesses noted in this study. A thorough analysis of the significance of exploring this study including mental and physical health has been established. Nurses have been observed to play a significant role in ensuring assessment and intervention measures to help older adults and their families. Of great importance to emphasize include carrying out diagnoses, advising, constant checkups, and spearheading exceptional health care for reticring older adults and their families during retirement transition.

References

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