Clinical Considerations for Mature Clients Part 6 by Charlie Graham

The older person is much more vulnerable to the environment.  He does not sweat as much and his thermostat could be off.  As illnesses such as thyroid deficiency and vitamin deficiencies come there will be health losses.  He does not warm up as easily and is often cold.  Major depression can be biochemically oriented.  There may be a loss of purpose and meaning with the loss of a job and career with the corresponding drop in self-esteem, which can also involve financial loss and loss of standard of living.  There may also be a loss of familiarity and independence through the loss of ability to drive safely.  Change for the older person is very difficult to process as a result of the loss of the past and a long unknown future to look forward to can be coupled with the fear of being a burden and the fear of death itself.

The two major theories that attempt to explain the changes in the body as it moves toward death are not mutually exclusive.  The first, genetic programming theory, states that there is something causing aging that is already in the DNA of each of us.  This evolutionary theory purports that humans are programmed to be born, reproduce, and then die.  Whereas the variable rate theory states that it is not from the genes that we age, but through all of the lifestyle factors such as exercise, diet, exposure to the elements, sleep – or the lack thereof – drug and alcohol abuse, chemicals, education, and standard of living.  It is a given that some people are more susceptible to aging factors than others.  We are made to reflect on our situation, and to have the awareness of impending death.  Most scholars believe that it is a combination of genetic and environmental factors that influence aging.

As I write this the world’s oldest man, Henry Allingham of London, has been reported as dying on Saturday, July 18, 2009, at age 113.  When asked the secret to his long life, he joking responded giving up “cigarettes, whiskey, and wild, wild women.”  Seriously, he found a purpose for his life, one bigger than himself.  As a wounded veteran of World War I, he took it on as his life mission to know and remember the true cost of war in the lives lost.  He was only one of a handful of WWI veterans left.  His friend Dennis Goodwin stated that “it’s the end of an era – a very special and unique generation.

If you or a loved one is considering treatment for alcohol or substance abuse and are looking for a place that understands mature adults, look no further than the Reflections Program, or if a Christ-centered treatment is what you are interested in, our Celebrate Recovery Program.