- In order to increase the resilience of elderly people, I would work with them on several life areas. As self-esteem plays an important part in developing coping mechanisms to enhance resilience, self-esteem building activities should be an important part of the individual’s life. Having a purpose in life is also important for everyone, including the elderly.
Working towards something positive, perhaps that helps others, is a solid way of gaining confidence and being better able to recover after a traumatic life event. Thirdly, a strong social network can really help an individual’s resilience. I would set up groups and activities for people to join and to make friends. While my priority would be my elderly service users, I’d encourage the social groups to comprise people of all age groups.
- One of the challenges affecting women in the US today is that so many more are divorced or single than were a few decades ago. While it is a positive thing that women are more free to get out of unhappy marriages these days, it does mean that many more are alone as they become older. Also, it is a sad fact of life that as a person gets older, they are likely to experience an increased number of traumatic events, such as the death of loved ones.
Furthermore, as people are living longer now than ever before, they are more likely to develop distressing illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. All of these factors, and more, mean that older women in the US need to build their levels of resilience.
Works Cited
Hrostowski, S & Rehner, T. Five Years Later: Resiliency Among Older Adult Survivors of Hurricane Katrina.
