ENHANCING RESILIENCE IN LATER LIFE

Many seniors lead healthy, active lifestyles and may even put non-senior populations to shame. Resilience is defined as high-risk groups of people overcoming their adversities and functioning well. Older adults are at increased risk for stress when they face many losses: interpersonal, financial, health and independence (Lavretsky & Irwin, 2007). Enhancing resilience in later life is one way for seniors to achieve stress reduction, greater coping and enjoyment of life. In later life (and at any stage of life) well being while coping with stress can be achieved through social support, diet and exercise, cognitive-behavioral therapy, pharmacological treatment, alternative stress reduction techniques and lifestyle changes (Lavretsky & Irwin, 2007). Caregivers can help seniors build resilience by promoting the following resilience factors: social support, individual self-esteem, perceived control and optimism. Caregivers need be active listeners, to facilitate the maintenance of social activities, to build activities upon strengths and interests, and to respect and encourage seniors’ independence. It is therapeutic for senior clients to share their experiences and feel understood, to recognize their own unique strengths, and to experience some control over themselves and their environments.
Relaxation and sleep are particularly important issues for seniors (Harris and Richards, 2010). Adults between 66 and 100-years-old are more deprived of touch than any other population. “Hand massage for relaxation may be an effective alternative to pharmacological therapy in reducing physiological and psychological stress and improving the quality of life in older people” (Harris and Richards, 2010, p. 924). Studies of hand massage have shown statistically significant decreases in anxiety and increases in relaxation for older adults.

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Harris, M. & Richards, K. C. (2010). The physiological and psychological effects of slow-stroke back massage and hand massage on relaxation in older people. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 19, 917–926.

Lavretsky, H. & Irwin, H. R. (2007). Resilience and aging. Aging Health, 3(3), 309-323.

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