Counselling is a complex process for clients of all ages but there are specific challenges and risks involved when working with older people. More specialised approaches are often required to provide compassionate, effective support tailored to the needs of the individual.
In this guide, we’ll explore what the challenges of working with elderly clients are and provide a few key strategies to help navigate them.
What are the challenges of counselling older clients?
Contents
First and foremost, older generations are generally less likely to seek help for problems with their mental health, which is a major barrier. This can stem from a reluctance to share personal issues, largely due to cultural and societal factors, but also because of financial limitations, social isolation and a lack of access to care services.
Once engaged in talking therapies, factors such as physical and cognitive impairment can be significant obstacles to overcome. Furthermore, tackling trauma and hurt that may have developed over several decades is never easy and makes for an even greater challenge.
Despite an ageing population, the average age of people utilising talking therapies doesn’t reflect the country’s demographic. As this trend continues and the number of people seeking help rises further, counselling older clients will become increasingly important.
Strategies to provide effective support
Providing more effective support to the elderly through counselling can be done by:
- Adapting communication techniques: The cognitive and physical needs of older clients may require you to tailor your approach to enhance understanding or rapport. For example, clients who are hard of hearing could benefit from physical prompts or clear written communication, while those with conditions such as dementia may need support with recall.
- Building trust and safety: Older generations may be less comfortable expressing their thoughts, so it’s crucial to build a sense of trust and safety before digging any deeper. This can be done by easing them into the process, developing a safe environment and showing a genuine sense of care.
- Integrating a holistic approach: Collaboration with healthcare providers, family members and other support systems can help to provide a more holistic approach to care. You could review your counsellor’s insurance to make sure it fits your client base, while taking extra care not to breach confidentiality practices and involving those in the client’s life can help to foster a better understanding and a more supportive home environment.
Providing talking therapy to older clients comes with various risks and challenges but breaking through these obstacles with perseverance and patience can have a significant impact on their quality of life. As the population continues to age, counsellors such as yourself will play an ever-important role in providing mental health support.
Tailoring Therapeutic Environments to Senior Needs
Physical setup and accessibility of the therapy environment leaves much to be addressed if the counseling experience is to be made more conducive for an elderly client. Mobility is a factor with many elderly; therefore, ease of access may considerably reduce stress and encourage attendance at counseling spaces. This may even include giving due thought to factors such as where a wheelchair is placed, comfy seating, or even reducing sources of noise. Creation of a warm and physically friendly environment can go a long way in positive improvements of the attitude and approach to therapy by senior clients.
Leveraging Technology with Care
Leveraging Technology with Care With the modern age of healthcare technology, maybe one can utilize the opportunity to better the counseling process with aged adults. However, much consideration should be put in place by this approach with sensitivity to the differences in the levels of technology literacy among the elderly clients. Digital tools would allow remote sessions; thus, even clients not easily able to reach the premises could be provided services. In addition, apps designed to provide mental wellness support could be a complement to conventional therapy, though with necessary guidance and help should accompany their usage. The incorporation of technology into the work is something that, if done, should always be done with the focus on how the integrity and empathetic contact of human therapy can be retained.
Addressing the Stigma Around Mental Health
The biggest challenge in counselling seniors is handling the stigma attached to mental health. Most of these seniors, when getting help for mental health, perhaps in the most extreme cases, the opportunity to be brought up was looked down upon or would lead to seeking help. This best achieved by addressing this with community outreach and educating to normalize the mental health care needs. The counsellors should be in partnership with community centres, senior clubs, and health facilities to join hands with them in changing attitudes that will bring about openness among the old persons in discussing mental health.
Conclusion
Counselling elderly clients comes with different special challenges in adapting and innovating therapeutic practices. They have to take into consideration how technology is accessed, appropriately used, and the stigma attached to mental well-being so that they can be lowered for them to be more effective at giving compassionate support to the elderly. These would enhance the quality of life for many of our seniors and would also go a long way toward encouraging a greater cultural shift toward inclusivity and understanding in mental health care.
