Trauma Among Older Adults presents an integrative model of treatment that considers current theories of treatment in light of special considerations relating to elderly patients. The book provides case studies, vignettes, and discussions, and demonstrates the importance of considering the personality, memory, and familial history of an elderly individual who has suffered a trauma.

Trauma in older people aged over 65 is a rapidly growing field within orthopaedics. Up to two thirds of fractures occur as a result of a fall and about one third of all fractures occur in the over-65 population. The aim of this comprehensive new text is to present the epidemiology and management of all musculoskeletal trauma that occurs in the elderly. The book deals with the assessment and treatment of medical comorbidities, complications, and the role of orthogeriatric care. The focus of the book is on the practical management of fractures although soft tissue injuries and dislocations are also discussed. Reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of the field, contributors are drawn from orthopaedics and orthogeriatrics on both sides of the Atlantic. The book is intended for all surgeons and physicians involved in the treatment of trauma in the elderly, and it will be relevant to trainees and as well as experienced practitioners.

Human rights violations and traumatic events often comingle in victims’ experiences; however, the human rights framework and trauma theory are rarely deployed together to illuminate such experiences. This edited volume explores the intersection of trauma and human rights by presenting the development and current status of each of these frameworks, examining traumatic experiences and human rights violations across a range of populations and describing efforts to remediate them. Individual chapters address these topics among Native Americans, African Americans, children, women, lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender individuals, those with mental disabilities, refugees and asylees, and older adults, and also in the context of social policy and truth and reconciliation commissions. The authors demonstrate that the trauma and human rights frameworks each contribute invaluable and complementary insights, and that their integration can help us fully appreciate and address human suffering at both individual and collective levels.

"In both hospitals and long-term care facilities it's the older patients and residents who are most prone to falling and most vulnerable to serious injury from a fall. Staff must constantly be on the alert for hazardous situations and know how to deal with falls. This easy-to-read guide provides just the right amount of information needed by health care staff to prevent and manage this common problem among older adults." "This book presents a wealth of practical recommendations, modifications, equipment, and resources that will improve the health and safety of older adult patients and long-term care residents."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Social isolation and loneliness are serious yet underappreciated public health risks that affect a significant portion of the older adult population. Approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely. People who are 50 years of age or older are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and sensory impairments. Over a life course, social isolation and loneliness may be episodic or chronic, depending upon an individual's circumstances and perceptions. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, comparable to other risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity. As older adults are particularly high-volume and high-frequency users of the health care system, there is an opportunity for health care professionals to identify, prevent, and mitigate the adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults summarizes the evidence base and explores how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, particularly among low income, underserved, and vulnerable populations. This report makes recommendations specifically for clinical settings of health care to identify those who suffer the resultant negative health impacts of social isolation and loneliness and target interventions to improve their social conditions. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults considers clinical tools and methodologies, better education and training for the health care workforce, and dissemination and implementation that will be important for translating research into practice, especially as the evidence base for effective interventions continues to flourish.

Working with older adults no longer means working exclusively with frail or disabled people. Older adults are healthier now on average than in decades past, but they still require specialized care. Mental health providers are seeing a growing number of older patients in their practice and may have little experience in the best methods for working with them. To fill that gap, Patricia A. Are�n assembled this volume of best practices in treating mental disorders in late life. It includes an overview of geropsychology and the training resources available to help clinicians develop the competencies they need to work with older adults. Chapters focus on evidence-based treatments for late-life depression, anxiety, trauma, and substance abuse disorders, including cognitive behavioral therapy, problem solving treatment, behavioral activation, interpersonal therapy, relaxation training, exposure therapy, substance abuse relapse prevention, and motivational interviewing. Detailed case examples in each chapter illustrate the interventions in action. Although mental disorders are not as common in later life as they are in younger populations, they can be disabling and costly. With the accumulation of evidence over the past twenty-five years, assumptions about whether older adults can benefit from psychotherapy have changed greatly. Not only is psychotherapy a more effective treatment option than medication for many older adults, the effects are as good as those seen in younger adults. This book will help mental health providers take advantage of the latest research and be more effective in their work with older adults.

Helping mental health clinicians anticipate, recognize and respond to elder abuse, this book quickly summarizes risk and protective factors, the important role of cognition and capacity and clinicians' legal and ethical obligations to report suspected or known elder abuse.

This comprehensive resource responds to a growing need for theory and multidisciplinary integrative research in adult and gerontological health. Handbook of Aging and Mental Healthbrings together, for the first time, diverse strategies and methodologies as well as theoretical formulations involving psychodynamic, behavioral, psychosocial, and biological systems as they relate to aging and health. Forward-thinking in his approach, Lomranz provides the mental health, adult developmental, and geriatric professions with a single reference source that covers theory construction, empirical research, treatment, and multidisciplinary program development.

Trauma does not just happen to a few unlucky people; it is the bedrock of our psychology. Death and illness touch us all, but even the everyday sufferings of loneliness and fear are traumatic. In The Trauma of Everyday Life renowned psychiatrist and author of Thoughts Without a Thinker Mark Epstein uncovers the transformational potential of trauma, revealing how it can be used for the mind's own development. Epstein finds throughout that trauma, if it doesn't destroy us, wakes us up to both our minds' own capacity and to the suffering of others. It makes us more human, caring and wise. It can be our greatest teacher, our freedom itself, and it is available to all of us. Western psychology teaches that if we understand the cause of trauma, we might move past it while many drawn to Eastern practices see meditation as a means of rising above, or distancing themselves from, their most difficult emotions. Both, Epstein argues, fail to recognize that trauma is an indivisible part of life and can be used as a tool for growth and an ever deeper understanding of change. When we regard trauma with this perspective, understanding that suffering is universal and without logic, our pain connects us to the world on a more fundamental level. Guided by the Buddha's life as a profound example of the power of trauma, Epstein's also closely examines his own experience and that of his psychiatric patients to help us all understand that the way out of pain is through it.