August 19, 2012 (Press-News.org) By 2030 Maryland and the rest of the nation can expect the population of seniors to be nearly double what it is today. Along with the increased number of elderly come increased health concerns, including the often-overlooked issue of mental health problems.
Health care workers are already bracing for the wave of physical ailments that will need more attention as the population ages, but readiness to deal with additional mental health issues is lacking. A recent eye-opening study from the Institute of Medicine reports that there are not enough medical personnel trained to provide mental health care to older Americans.
The IOM reported that more than 5.6 million Americans over 65 already have a condition requiring mental health treatment, including substance abuse disorders. That number could grow to as high as eight million. The most common mental health problems in this age group are depression and dementia.
Depression most commonly begins earlier, in middle age; simply aging doesn't cause mental health ailments. However, elderly people's mental health problems, when they do occur, might be overlooked because health care providers are focused on physical ailments.
Treatment of physical ailments can even initiate or exacerbate mental health problems, due to prescription drug side effects and the danger of creating drug dependency. Older bodies metabolize drugs differently, so doctors need to monitor dosages carefully. Also, the interaction of mental and physical health means that patients suffering from mental illnesses may be less likely to take care of their physical health, so health care complications and costs go up.
A reality faced by the wave of aging seniors is the loss of friends, family and support systems as they grow older. Grieving is difficult, more so when health care workers are not sensitive to the profound potential mental health impact of personal loss.
It is important to seek out advocates for persons who need mental health care, and an experienced attorney may be a very helpful resource, especially considering the special health needs of elderly Maryland residents.
Article provided by Jaklitsch Law Group
Visit us at www.jaklitschlawgroup.com
Mental Health Needs of Aging Population Need Attention
Our aging population faces mental health problems which the health care system is not equipped to handle.
2012-08-19
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Women's Financial Stability Post-Divorce
2012-08-19
Following divorce, women typically suffer financially more than man and a percentage find themselves living in poverty. Women face challenges of entering a job market after possibly being absent for a number of years as well as the gender wage gap. Although women face unique struggles there are several ways to obtain stability.
Updating Accounts
An essential step after divorce is to change all records to reflect the divorce. Passports, driver's licenses, health insurance plans, bank accounts, credit cards and asset titles must all be changed to reflect any new life ...
VA Disability Benefit Backlog Growing Larger
2012-08-19
All qualified veterans with service-connected disabilities are entitled to receive veterans' disability benefits from the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Unfortunately, a huge backlog in the system means that many veterans are not getting their VA disability benefits as soon as they should be.
As of July 2012, there were nearly 920,000 claims pending with the VA. Approximately 66 percent of those applicants had been waiting for more than 125 days.
The backlog can be attributed to a number of different factors. New battlefield medical technology is allowing soldiers ...
Car Accidents in Connecticut Construction Zones: Causes and Remedies
2012-08-19
Backed up traffic. Flashing lights. Narrow, winding lanes and confusing signage. Navigating a construction zone can be a challenge even for the most experienced drivers.
Car accidents in construction zones are all too common in Connecticut and throughout the United States. But, by knowing more about the threats they are likely to face, the steps drivers can take to help protect themselves and how to address the fallout after an accident, motorists can be prepared for whatever dangerous construction zones throw in their way.
The Hazards of Construction Zones
According ...
How to Appeal When You've Been Denied Veterans' Benefits
2012-08-19
Don't assume that the Veterans Administration will get it right the first time. The law of veterans disability benefits is complex and often misunderstood. Veterans regularly appeal VA decisions either because they are not compensated at the correct disability percentage or they are completely denied service connection.
There is recourse for those who need a second opinion or want to fight for their benefits: Veterans who are denied benefits can take advantage of an appeals system that allows them to challenge the decisions made by a regional Department of Veterans Affairs ...
Massachusetts' Alimony Reform Law Has Huge Effect on Divorcing Spouses
2012-08-19
A marriage is a spiritual relationship. A marriage is a unique social commitment. But, marriage also is a financial partnership. Often the earnings of one partner far outpace those of the other. While a spouse who does not earn a large weekly paycheck relies on his or her partner's earnings, he or she contributes to the marriage in other ways that the Court recognizes. For this reason, the Court may make an alimony, or spousal support order. The higher-earning partner typically pays alimony to the lower-earning partner upon divorce. Alimony helps ease the couple's inevitably ...
New Bill Would Give Parents Time Off to Attend School Events
2012-08-19
To stay competitive in today's business environment, more businesses are focusing on work-life balances to attract (and retain) good employees. With a growing number of work tasks being performed remotely or through the Internet, employers are becoming more flexible about the actual time spent in the office. This allows working parents have more time to attend their children's school activities.
The evolution of the workplace is the impetus behind a new law that would allow parents to take time away from work. The Family Education Leave Act would allow employees in Michigan ...
Valuable Digital Assets: Estate Planning's New Frontier
2012-08-19
A person must make many decisions when creating a will, establishing a trust or implementing other estate planning strategies. Important choices regarding everything from tangible assets to the identity of people chosen to carry out one's wishes will have long term implications.
One area of concern that has received enhanced attention from estate planning and probate lawyers in recent years is the fate of a person's digital assets. Everything from a person's Facebook profile to email distribution lists and other reams of data can have significant value, particularly ...
Penn State Faces Civil Lawsuits for Failing to Protect Victims
2012-08-19
Our country is proud of its heroes. Unfortunately, the opportunity to be a hero is often tied to a great tragedy. In the case of Penn State's terrible child abuse disaster, the children that were abused now have the opportunity to emerge as heroes -- taking steps to ensure similar tragedies do not happen to future generations.
Sexual abuse is a horrendous crime that is taken very seriously in Pennsylvania.
There are potentially two types of lawsuits involved in sex abuse cases: Criminal lawsuits, which punish abusers, and civil lawsuits, which can offer the victims ...
Feds Take Major Action Against Truck and Bus Industry in Annual Sweep
2012-08-19
The U.S. is heavily dependent on large vehicles like trucks and buses for commercial transport. On any given day, on any interstate highway across the country, high numbers of tractor-trailer trucks are traveling on the same roads as passenger vehicles and at high rates of speed.
Of course, these immense, heavy vehicles are especially treacherous when involved in accidents with smaller vehicles like cars, minivans and SUVs, to say nothing of the dangers they pose to motorcycles and pedestrians. Because of the risk of serious injury and death in commercial vehicle collisions, ...
FreeAgent Unveils Revamp of Award-Winning Cloud Accounting System
2012-08-19
FreeAgent has dramatically overhauled its award-winning online accounting system in order to make it easier than ever for small businesses and freelancers to stay on top of their finances.
As part of an extensive development project, FreeAgent has revamped and upgraded key areas of its cloud accounting software, ensuring it is more intuitive to use for tens of thousands of customers across the UK and overseas.
The redesign was released to beta testers earlier this year, before being rolled out to all FreeAgent customers in June.
Among the key changes are:
- ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Newly discovered molecule may explain reduced muscle mass in type 2 diabetes
Rheumatoid arthritis and muscle wasting: New review points to overlooked complications
Overcoming intrinsic dispersion locking by misaligned bilayer metagratings
Vaccines work: Cohort data from Denmark show real-world evidence of stable protection against HPV-related cervical cancer
Underwater shaped charge explosions: a comprehensive experimental study on coupling dynamics
Wristband sensor provides all-in-one monitoring for diabetes and cardiovascular care
Unveiling the spatiotemporal landscape of Ganoderma lingzhi: insights into ganoderic acid distribution and biosynthesis
Quality and antibiotic resistance risks in livestock probiotics in China
Genomic study reveals deep roots of human survival and adaptation in Himalayas
Differential obesity trends in Asian and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander US adults
Cumulative anticholinergic exposure and change in gait speed and grip strength in older adults
Study suggests lemurs age differently than humans
Hypothermia alters glucose metabolism and may reveal mechanisms of metabolic disease
Content or form? The two possible paths of our memories
Research team produces low-loss spin waveguide network
PolyU-led research reveals that sensory and motor inputs help large language models represent complex concepts
Premature babies should have early skin-to-skin contact with their mother
New research in JNCCN offers reassurance about localized prostate cancer prognosis
Fluorinated polyimide: High toughness and low dielectric properties pave new path for high-frequency communication materials
Radar-based control of a helical microswimmer in 3-Dimensional space with dynamic obstacles
Short-term physical activity reduces metabolic-associated steatohepatitis by promoting the degradation of branched-chain amino acids in skeletal muscle
A multimodal amphibious robot driven by soft electrohydraulic flippers
US vacation renters waste $2 billion worth of food annually
Automatized vocabulary knowledge in predicting speech fluency
Uncovering the relationship between oral function and lifestyle-related diseases
Drone herbicide applications prove effective for common reed control
New report shows China dominates in AI research – and is western world’s leading collaborator on AI
Hot weather causes children to sweat at the same rate as adults, study shows
New CZI AI model could help scientists pinpoint signs of cancer cells
Sugar-coated ‘sticky’ stem cells could unlock surgery-free liver treatments
[Press-News.org] Mental Health Needs of Aging Population Need AttentionOur aging population faces mental health problems which the health care system is not equipped to handle.