The mental or social sphere

Mental sphere:

To analyze this sphere is indispensable to know the education of the patient; since if it is illiterate it will not be able to answer of equal form to the questions that a person who has studies.

The cognitive deterioration of a patient can depend on the following variables: Of The own organism, of factors physic socials and of clinical entities like the alterations in the senses,  EPOC, etc..

 Also we must remember that the elders suffer multiple psychic disorders up to in 25 % and the majority of the it are the depression and anxiety; for what is important to identify the factors of risk that the elders suffer to derive in the above mentioned disorders. 

These factors can be:

- Biological: Age, sex and race, etc …

- Doctors: Polydrugstore, sensory deprivation, terminal illnesses, etc …

- Functional. - Psychic: Alcoholism, anxiety, dementia, etc …

- Social: recent Losses, scanty social support, socioeconomic resources.

To be able to quarrel if it suffers from depression we can use the scale of Yesavage's Geriatric Depression or the Scale of Beck's Depression.

For the valuation of the cognitive sphere we must bear multiple factors in mind since they are:

- Level of education, profession.

- Factors of cardiovascular risk: ear Fibrillation, hypertension, Diabetes.

- Familiar History of dementia.

- Psychiatric Precedents.

- Disorders of the conduct: Deliriums, agitation, hallucinations, etc …

- Capacity of abstraction / judgment

- Language.

- Problems of recognition of relatives and friends.

We carry out this valuation across multiple test.

In my opinion is extraordinary important to evaluate accurately a patient and I think it’s very important to know it:

INTERPRETING THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY

Now that you have completed the questionnaire, add up the score for each of the twenty-one

questions by counting the number to the right of each question you marked. The highest possible

total for the whole test would be sixty-three. This would mean you circled number three on all

twenty-one questions. Since the lowest possible score for each question is zero, the lowest

possible score for the test would be zero. This would mean you circles zero on each question.

You can evaluate your depression according to the Table below.

Total Score________________Levels of Depression

1-10____________________These ups and downs are considered normal

11-16___________________ Mild mood disturbance

17-20___________________Borderline clinical depression

21-30___________________Moderate depression

31-40___________________Severe depression

over 40__________________Extreme depression

A PERSISTENT SCORE OF 17 OR ABOVE INDICATES THAT YOU MAY NEED MEDICAL TREATMENT.

Social sphere

With regard to the social valuation the social worker is in the habit of carrying out her, this valuation allows us to know the relation of the elder with the environment (home, familiar and social support). In this aspect the family performs great importance since if the elder has a total dependence the whole weight of day after day will fall down on the keeper; for them the social workers also create programs and groups of support for the keepers of the elders.

Since the above mentioned keepers are in risk of depression, physical diseases and death due to the overload of responsibilities in some cases.

The social resources can be evaluated asking on the income, housing, transport, insurances, financial loads (due to the condition of disease of the relative), etc..

The most secondhand scale is that of ORS of social resources that provides to us information about the familiar structure, the social resources, the economic resources, mental health, physical health and capacities for the accomplishment of the AVD.

As far as I’m concerned, aging is an inevitable stage that all people go through. Just like any other stage, this is also one that has several social aspects. If you want to know what they are, continue reading this article because this will provide you with the information you need.

In accordance with a study conducted by experts, the needs of old people don’t vary much with the needs of people in other age brackets. For them to have that social security there are several factors that affect it. The following are the social aspects of older people that must reveal their self-worth and assurance in life: hobbies and activities that will make them feel their worth, good relationship with neighbors, family and friends, accessibility of vital services and commodities, good health, financial security and secure housing as well.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1.Cawt. [quoted in 16/04/2013] and available on:

http://www.cawt.com/Site/11/Documents/Members/Evaluation/BeckDepressionInventory1.pdf

2. Mediagraphic [quoted in 16/04/2013] and available on:

 http://www.medigraphic.com/pdfs/residente/rr-2010/rr102c.pdf

3,- HOFFMAN, Gloria Basic Geriatric Nursing 5th Edition. Elsevier 2012.