Older Adults
A)
According to the American Psychology Association, older adults are defined as “persons 65 years of age or older (APA, Practitioners, 2002) The older adult population is separated by two subpopulations called “young old”, “older old”, and “oldest old.”(APA, Practitioners, 2002) “Young old” describe those between the ages of 65-74, “older old” describes those between the ages of 75 and 84, and oldest old refers to those 85 and older. (APA, Practitioners, 2002) Other important subpopulations include the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) older adults and racially diverse subpopulations. (Aging and Health Report) The ageing LGBT subpopulation is an overlooked part of the older adult population that is rarely addressed (Aging and Health Report.) They have the highest number of health issues as well as the most discrimination of the older adult population. (Aging and Health Report)According to a report done by the National Institute on Aging, “Nearly one half have a disability and nearly one-third report depression” (Aging and Health Report.) Another subpopulation of older adults that is significant is the racially discriminated older adults. (Liat, 2011) In an article published in Aging and Mental Health, both black and Latino older adults reported a higher percentage of everyday discrimination than white older adults (Liat, 2011) When working with the older adult population, there are terms that need to be avoided in using to describe the population. (APA Manual, 2001) The American Psychological Association (1) states in Section 2.17 Age, “Elderly is not acceptable as a noun and is considered pejorative by some as an adjective. Older person is preferred. Age groups may also be described with adjectives: gerontologists may prefer to use combination terms for older age groups (young-old, old-old, very old, and oldest old), which should be used only as adjectives. Dementia is preferred to senility; senile dementia of the Alzheimer’s type is an accepted
According to the American Psychology Association, older adults are defined as “persons 65 years of age or older (APA, Practitioners, 2002) The older adult population is separated by two subpopulations called “young old”, “older old”, and “oldest old.”(APA, Practitioners, 2002) “Young old” describe those between the ages of 65-74, “older old” describes those between the ages of 75 and 84, and oldest old refers to those 85 and older. (APA, Practitioners, 2002) Other important subpopulations include the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) older adults and racially diverse subpopulations. (Aging and Health Report) The ageing LGBT subpopulation is an overlooked part of the older adult population that is rarely addressed (Aging and Health Report.) They have the highest number of health issues as well as the most discrimination of the older adult population. (Aging and Health Report)According to a report done by the National Institute on Aging, “Nearly one half have a disability and nearly one-third report depression” (Aging and Health Report.) Another subpopulation of older adults that is significant is the racially discriminated older adults. (Liat, 2011) In an article published in Aging and Mental Health, both black and Latino older adults reported a higher percentage of everyday discrimination than white older adults (Liat, 2011) When working with the older adult population, there are terms that need to be avoided in using to describe the population. (APA Manual, 2001) The American Psychological Association (1) states in Section 2.17 Age, “Elderly is not acceptable as a noun and is considered pejorative by some as an adjective. Older person is preferred. Age groups may also be described with adjectives: gerontologists may prefer to use combination terms for older age groups (young-old, old-old, very old, and oldest old), which should be used only as adjectives. Dementia is preferred to senility; senile dementia of the Alzheimer’s type is an accepted
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