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Behavioral Medicine pp 135–150Cite as

Psychological Aspects of Health and Illness in the Elderly

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Abstract

This is the second chapter on a specific population, namely, the elderly. After presenting the hypothetical “case,” the chapter briefly reviews basic biological processes in aging. Psychological models in gerontology are mentioned, including the less known model of gerotranscendence. Stress and the importance of control and perceived control in the elderly are reviewed in depth as a central psychological aspect of aging with pivotal health implications. Psychological aspects of dementia are then discussed, followed by psychological aspects of falling in the elderly. Here, a psychobiological model of this issue is proposed, which includes environmental, psychosocial, and biological components. We then learn several PNI aspects of psychogeriatrics and examine effects of psychological interventions in the elderly. The chapter ends by returning to its case and “treating” it better, vis-à-vis the reviewed empirical evidence. This chapter is of high relevance to the current aging population, worldwide.

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  1. SCALab, University of Lille, Lille, France

    Yori Gidron

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Gidron, Y. (2019). Psychological Aspects of Health and Illness in the Elderly. In: Behavioral Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18893-1_8

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