Aging

Abstract

Older people are subject to almost all the problems that younger people may have, and younger people may have most of the problems that older people may have. Therefore, all the techniques of behavior therapy are potentially applicable to older as well as younger people. Yet, there is merit to attending especially to an elderly group in a book such as this. Much of this merit derives from the fact that the typical elderly person in need of behavioral intervention may present quite differently to the therapist than does the typical younger person; and those therapists not knowledgeable specifically about working with the elderly may find themselves at a loss as to the best way to proceed. In this chapter we will present the differences a behavioral therapist will typically encounter between elderly and nonelderly clients. Next, we will describe the process whereby events related to “old age”can produce problems. Then we will present the behavioral approach developed at the Florida Mental Health Institute to help the elderly client overcome these problems. Finally, we will present two case studies that illustrate the application of the behavioral approach to two problems commonly encountered by the elderly.