Stress Coping Mechanisms in Elderly Adults: An Initial Study of Recreational and Other Coping Behaviors in Nursing Home Patients
✍ Scribed by I. Roy Hunter; Mark C. Gillen
- Publisher
- American Counseling Association
- Year
- 2009
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 155 KB
- Volume
- 8
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1524-6817
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Residents (N = 32) of 3 skilled nursing homes participated in a study designed to document the nature of the stressors they experienced and the coping mechanisms they used. Medical issues were the most common stressors. The most common coping responses were prayer, reading, watching television, listening to music, and talking to friends and family.
By 2050, with the aging of the baby boomers, the population of persons age 65 years and older will be approximately 70 million, or 1 in every 5 Americans (Hooyman & Kiyak, 2002;Pratt & Kethley, 1988). Accompanying this demographic change are ever increasing concerns for the quality of life experienced by elderly adults. The custodial model, whereby elderly adults were merely warehoused in nursing homes, is now seen as inappropriate. Medical science, along with various societal changes, has provided more individuals with the opportunity to live to an advanced age, maintain their health, and experience high levels of perceived wellness (Myers & Degges-White, 2007;Peterson, 1999).
However, aging is related to a number of factors that have a detrimental effect on the quality of life. These include declining health (Boardman, 2004;