Gerontology 130 Working with the Frail Elderly

UNIT 1 Myths and Stereotypes
Overview Myths and Stereotypes Required Reading Online Activities

Overview

The attitudes we hold affect the way we treat the elderly—especially when those attitudes are based on false assumptions. Perhaps the most important thing for caregivers to recognize is that on the whole, the majority of families do care for their elderly parents. This is difficult to perceive, when professional caregivers believe that families do not have time or interest in caring for their aging relatives. According to the Family Caregiver Alliance (http://www.caregiver.org).

• Caregiving will preoccupy American families well into the 21st century, as the 76 million baby boomers join the ranks of older Americans.
• Families' capacity to provide long term care will be strained due to (a) more women in the labor force, (b) greater geographic mobility, (c) increased divorce and remarriage and (d) delayed childbearing.
• The supply of caregivers is decreasing due to (a) smaller family size which makes fewer adult children available to care for aging parents and (b) men and women caught in the "sandwich" generation are "sandwiched" between caring for aging parents and raising teenagers.

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Myths and Stereotypes: How Our Attitudes Affect The Way We Treat the Elderly

The lack of family caregivers dedicated to caring for aging parents is not due to lack of dedication or interest, but due to competing priorities and needs, the participation of women in the work force, and fewer numbers of available adult children. The facts or "realities" are as follows:

1. Women who continue to work are still involved in the care of their aging relatives.
2. The sheer decrease in family size requires the need for outside professional help.
3. Most older adults live within 20 minutes of a relative.
4. Most older adults have contact with a family member on a weekly if not daily basis.

Most caregivers suffer from guilt and the heavy burden that they are not doing all that they can. This in turn, leads to unreasonable expectations and projections of guilt and feelings, that paid staff is not nearly doing enough.

To more effectively promote positive caregiving techniques, one must:

• Be knowledgeable about the realities and myths of aging.
• Informed with regard to the process of ethical decision-making.
• Realize that the expectations of the family members may be unrealistic and no professional caregiver or setting is perfect or will meet the family's standard of "excellent" care.
• Realize that family members and the elderly person may be in denial regarding their medical condition.
• Promote communication between the professional caregiver and family member.
• Encourage the elderly person to participate as much as he/she is physically able with the activities of daily care.

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Required Reading

1. Read Helpful Information
2. Read Information on WebBoard

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Online Activities

1. Complete and submit the on-line Letter of Agreement [link will open in a new window].
2. Sign on to the WebBoard.

   Click on the WebBoard button and enroll yourself as a new user. Click on New User and create an account for yourself and follow the directions. Your password will be e-mailed to you immediately. Once you receive the e-mail with your password go back to the WebBoard and log in. If, for whatever reason, you cannot enter the WebBoard through the course link, you can use the following URL to access it from the Internet:

   http://cvc3.ccc.cccd.edu:82/~gero130mil/

   Once you have access to the WebBoard you will see a split screen. On the right it will tell you how many messages you have and how to open the conferences. on the left you see a list of conferences. Think of these as you would a real conference. In each different "room" you address a different topic. When you click on a conference topic or the + signs you will see the message left on the topic. Click on individual messages to view them.

3. Post to WebBoard a brief biography of who you are and why you are taking this class by clicking on the button on the top of the page.
4. To test your knowledge regarding the attitudes you hold, complete the Myths and Stereotypes Quiz and check your answers.

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E-mail your instructor: Ellis Waller
Copyright © 2001-2003 by Ellis Waller. All rights reserved.

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