Discuss the differences between aging and disease. What are the implications of these differences for counselors working with older adults?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

It is important to distinguish aging from disease. The normal aging process, whether viewed at a biological, psychological, or social level, is relatively benign and does not lead to catastrophic changes. Rather, dramatic decline occurs as a result of disease. As an example, at one time, it was believed that aging eventually led to senility, and that everyone would become senile if they lived long enough. We now know that the syndrome of severe, progressive memory and intellectual decline that we call senility or senile dementia results from several different diseases, such as Alzheimer’s Disease, but is not a universal part of growing older. The risk of Alzheimer’s, like many other illnesses, increases with advancing age, but a majority of people at 80 or 100 years old do not suffer from this type of mental decline. Aging is associated with an increased risk of developing various diseases, but the aging process is not inherently pathological. For counseling interventions, this distinction between normal aging and disease has practical significance. There has been a tendency to view all older adults as experiencing negative changes (e. g., senility, rigidity, etc.), but that is not the case. The majorities of older adults, however, are relatively healthy and should not be construed as having diminished capacity in their ability to carry out everyday activities. In other words, counselors should not view all older adults as having changes typical of dementia or other diseases. Even in the face of some chronic diseases, older adults may retain the resiliency to make creative adaptations.