Applying Psychological Science, Benefiting Society
Traditionally, African American grandparents have played a critical role in the caretaking responsibilities of their grandchildren. This has allowed their adult children to be able to pursue educational and employment opportunities. However, how the consequences of mass incarceration on the African American family system extend beyond the incarcerated individual into the lives of their children and the grandparents left to care for them are little discussed.
Thirty-nine percent of people across the world attend a religious service every week, but of them, few know just how beneficial religious involvement can be! As life changes with aging, from physical declines to loss of loved ones, religious involvement can help you remain healthy. No matter your prior involvement or your current abilities, you can experience the benefits of religion. Here are four reasons why you should embrace your faith as a means toward healthy aging.
The midterm elections are over, and we all know that voting is a vital means to make our voices heard. But it’s not the only way. Psychologists have the expertise, skills, and opportunity to engage in needed and productive advocacy to advance the issues that are important to us, both locally and nationally.
This advocacy includes meeting with elected representatives to express concerns and support for initiatives. Meeting with your representatives may seem like a daunting and intimidating task if you’ve never done it before, but APA offers useful online advocacy training, tools, and a variety of resources to help you prepare for your meetings
For aging adults, declining quality of sleep and difficulty sleeping through the night are common problems. Sleep is an essential biological process, and good sleep is important to our overall mental and physical wellbeing. Researchers find that changes in circadian rhythm, the body’s internal clock for cycles like eating and sleeping, can cause changes as we age
As the population ages in the United States and around the world, social isolation of older adults, especially older adults who live alone, is a crucial challenge that requires attention. Community and social support programs are essential means to address this challenge. However, technology-based solutions should be considered to supplement or augment these methods to help ensure that older adults remain connected to their friends, family, and community.
The sizeable portion of older adults living alone is alarming given the harmful effects of social isolation – a reduction in social connectedness as measured by satisfaction derived from social ties – can have on the health of older people. Social isolation is associated with negative health effects including chronic health conditions, a weakened immune system, and depression and anxiety. Having services and supports in place to meet the needs of older adults living alone and experiencing the harmful effects of social isolation is vital.
Though there are many words for it such as conning or swindling, scamming has one clear definition: financial exploitation in a deceptive manner. Have you ever received a phone call or an email offering a free trip to some luxurious paradise, warning about your unpaid taxes, or threatening legal action if you fail to pay a fee to help your friend? With email, automated robocallers, and inexpensive international calling services, at some point or another most people will have received one or more fraudulent messages. In general, older adults are more likely to be targeted. Though new types of cons are always occurring and be used against anyone, the Department of Justice has identified some that are more likely to be directed at older adults.
Many of us have had the experience of losing interest in some of the activities that used to excite us. This is to be expected as our lives change and we experience new things. However, some people have a more general decrease in their ability to experience pleasure in activities they used to find enjoyable. Psychologists refer to this as anhedonia. And here’s what you should know.
When it comes to disasters, older Americans are the age group most likely to experience devastating outcomes due to a variety of risk factors. #OAM18
By Ryan C. Thompson & Rowena Gomez, PhD (Palo Alto University) Improving physical health behaviors, such as eating healthy and exercise, is not the only way to protect older adults from stroke. In fact, psychological factors have been shown to play a role in increasing as well as reducing the risk of stroke. For example, […]
Psychology Benefits Society 