『524: Working With Elders-Aging, Control, and Legacy』のカバーアート

524: Working With Elders-Aging, Control, and Legacy

524: Working With Elders-Aging, Control, and Legacy

無料で聴く

ポッドキャストの詳細を見る

【Amazonプライム会員限定】今ならプレミアムプランが4か月 月額99円。

10月19日まで。※適用条件あり
Working With Elders: Aging, Control, and Legacy Hosts:Dr. David BurnsKevin Cornelius, LMFT Guests:Dr. Jill LevittThai-An Truong, LPC. LADC Episode Overview What happens when aging begins to change the things that once gave us independence, identity, and a sense of purpose? In this episode of The Feeling Good Podcast, Kevin Cornelius, Dr. David Burns, Jill Levitt, and Thai-An Truong explore the emotional challenges that can accompany aging—and the ways therapists, caregivers, family members, and loved ones can respond with greater empathy, dignity, and respect. Thai-An draws on her experience working with older adults in an inpatient setting and introduces two fundamental needs that can become especially important in later life: control and legacy. As people age, they may experience layers of loss involving physical strength, health, friends, spouses, independence, financial security, familiar surroundings, and even their sense of identity. At the same time, family members and caregivers may become increasingly focused on getting things done, making decisions, and addressing practical or medical concerns. That difference in agendas can create painful power struggles. The episode explores a different approach: slowing down, reducing urgency, and giving older adults as much agency as possible. Rather than interpreting resistance or insistence on doing things a certain way as simply being "stubborn" or "difficult," the conversation considers whether these behaviors may reflect a deeply human need for control, safety, familiarity, and dignity. The conversation then turns toward legacy and life review. Thai-An describes a process of listening for the stories, people, experiences, and themes that repeatedly emerge in an older person's conversations. Those stories can provide clues about the values that have mattered most throughout their life—and about how they would like to be remembered. The episode concludes with a moving demonstration of this process, with Jill Levitt role-playing her mother, Wendy. Through stories about the Peace Corps, Brazil, travel, family, grandchildren, and her career, the conversation reveals deeper themes of adventure, learning, connection, love, acceptance, honesty, generosity, and respect. Ultimately, this episode asks us to consider whether helping an older person is always about doing more for them. Sometimes, it may be about slowing down enough to listen, allowing them to remain the author of their own story, and helping them recognize that their life continues to matter. Key Takeaways 1. Aging can involve many layers of loss Thai-An emphasizes that loss can accumulate as people grow older. These losses may include: Physical strength and healthIndependenceFriends and peer relationshipsA spouse or life partnerFinancial independenceFamiliar surroundings and one's homeA previous role in the familyA sense of productivity or contributionIdentity and social status When several of these losses occur at once, older adults may be asked to make major decisions at precisely the time when they are feeling least able to cope with change. 2. Independence is about more than physical functioning The discussion highlights how deeply identity can become connected to independence. Kevin describes how his mother had previously derived meaning from helping other members of the family. When the roles reversed and she began needing help herself, she experienced shame and worried that she was becoming a burden. Thai-An suggests that losing the ability to contribute can challenge an older person's sense of worth. Someone who spent a lifetime caring for others may struggle when suddenly placed in the position of needing care themselves. 3. The need for control doesn't disappear with age One of the central ideas of the episode is that control is a fundamental human need. When older adults lose the ability to perform tasks independently, they may increasingly depend on other people to do things for them. As a result, they may become particularly concerned about how those things are done. What can look like being demanding, controlling, or "set in one's ways" may sometimes be an attempt to preserve agency in a life where many other choices have already been taken away. Jill points out that someone who previously handled things independently may understandably want things done according to their preferences once other people become responsible for those tasks. 4. Caregivers can unintentionally create control battles Family members and professionals often have legitimate reasons for wanting an older person to make a decision quickly: medication management, medical care, safety concerns, housing, transportation, or other practical issues. But urgency can collide with the older person's need for control. Thai-An describes the importance of "sitting with open hands"—reducing the pressure to make something happen immediately and instead creating room for the older person to participate in decisions about...
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
まだレビューはありません