Mental Health/Behavioral Health

• Legally competent—a person is capable of making appropriate decisions

• Clinically competent—individual’s ability to identify problems, recognize options, make decisions, and provide the rationale supporting the decisions

Dementia

• Syndrome that involves a slowly progressive cognitive decline, sometimes referred to as chronic confusion

• Global impairment of intellectual function that is generally chronic and progressive

• Alzheimer’s disease

Delirium

• Acute state of confusion• Usually short-term and reversible within 3

weeks or less• Often seen among older adults in a setting

with which they are unfamiliar• Can include physical manifestations of change

Depression

• Mood disorder that can have cognitive, affective, and physical manifestations

• Primary depression• Secondary or situational depression• Geriatric Depression Scale used for

assessment• Treatment generally includes drug therapy

and psychotherapy

Elder Neglect and Abuse

• Neglect—failure to provide basic needs• Physical abuse—use of physical force that

results in bodily injury• Financial abuse—mismanagement or misuse

of property or resources • Emotional abuse—intentional use of threats,

humiliation, intimidation, and isolation

Did you know that having a pet could lead to longer life? See what certain parts of Japan, Italy, Costa Rica and the Unites States have to do with aging.

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