Aging – Page 2 – Psychology Benefits Society

April 1, 2018April 2, 2018Administrator

5 Steps to Jumpstart Your Career in Aging

Older adults are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population. If you are interested in going into this exciting field, here are five simple steps to jumpstart your career in aging.

March 29, 2018March 29, 2018Administrator

What is the Recipe for Success? 5 Ways Cooking Can Keep You Young

By Erin Cochrane, Sam Gilchrist, and Anna Linden (Department of Psychology, Saint Olaf College, Northfield, MN) Aging gracefully isn’t always a sweet process. The World Health Organization warns that malnutrition is a looming issue for our aging population1, but sensory losses can make food less appealing and increase risk for undereating and weight loss2. […]

February 12, 2018February 12, 2018Administrator

Let’s Talk About Sex — After 60

Older adults account for an increasing proportion of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, in the United States. Notwithstanding, sex after sixty continues to remain shrouded in silence and stigma. In this post, doctoral student Christina Pierpaoli Parker discusses the reasons for and consequences of the scantiness of late life sexual health conversations, concluding with recommendations for increasing their visibility.

January 3, 2018March 6, 2019Administrator

What High School Psychology Students Told Us About the Future of Healthy Aging

In the past year, high school psychology students embarked upon an essay to describe an “Aging World,” the theme of this year’s Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS) annual essay competition for high school psychology students. Ultimately, four students from high schools around the world were named winners, but the broader impact was that a bevy of young people learned about how to age well and how to support this goal for our current aging population.

December 20, 2017December 20, 2017Administrator

Give the Gift of Kindness to Your Elders this Holiday Season

The holiday season has a way of encouraging acts of kindness toward family, friends, and even strangers. As the holiday spirit inspires us to treat others with kindness and respect, let us not overlook older adults who tend not to receive everyday acts of kindness, gratitude, and respect.

December 15, 2017December 15, 2017Administrator

Finding Meaning in Life and in Death: A Call to Culturally Competent Action

Many dying patients express the need for meaning—in life and in death. In palliative care, our primary goal is to facilitate comfort and maximize quality of life. We often employ interventions that emphasize the importance of meaning-making. Unfortunately, these interventions seem to be overly individualistic and westernized, overlooking important aspects of intersectionality and cultural variations.

December 8, 2017December 8, 2017Administrator

A Good Death is an Important Part of a Good Life

We spend a lot of time talking about quality of life, but, increasingly, people around the world are talking about quality of death. Facing the end of life is hard for everyone involved, and many worry about the pain and loss of dignity associated with dying. In some areas of the world, individuals may choose legalized medical aid in dying, allowing them to control the time and place of their own death.

November 8, 2017November 8, 2017Administrator

Is Poking Fun at Birthdays a Harmless Way to Celebrate Them?

Have you ever noticed that the tone of birthday cards for children is upbeat with messages like, “way to go, you’re another year older”? Whereas that is rarely the theme in cards for adults older than 21, at least in the United States. Birthday cards and gifts that poke fun of older adulthood are communicating negative ageist stereotypes found in society…

October 26, 2017October 26, 2017Administrator

A Fate Worse than Death? Being Transgender in Long-term Care

“I would kill myself.” This is what a 70 year-old transgender woman told me recently when I asked what she would do if she needed long-term care. While this sounds dramatic, it is a common sentiment among older transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) adults (Witten, 2014). Many TGNC older adults do not have family caregivers available to meet their needs for assistance in later life, having been rejected and ostracized by their families of origin according to a study by Grant and colleagues (2011), and long-term care services may be their only option.

September 26, 2017September 28, 2017Administrator

The Hidden Population of Caregiving Youth in Our Schools

As students around the country are excitedly gathering their backpacks and school supplies in anticipation of the new school year, there is another group of students who are more worried than excited…worried about the family member(s) they are caring for…”What if something happens when I am at school?” “What if people at school find out what I do…will they take me away from my family?”