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America's Aging Population

New definitions are needed for dealing with America's aging population. In debunking ageism and redefining the rights of the elderly, there is a dire need to center the care of the aging within an ethical space. To work well with the elderly, counselors must have respect, patience, and a high regard for their aging clients. The Middle Eastern scholar Haim (1994) suggests that a problem solving approach to the old must be abandoned and replaced by a social constructionist approach. If contemporary culture can grow more comfortable with the reality of death itself than there will also exist additional ease with the elderly. Robinson & Gross (1986) need to weigh in the factor of therapeutic intent against a more specialized cost-benefit ratio. Elderly patients must be treated with dignity, must be administered to with informed consent, no coercion and deception, with confidentiality and privacy and an accurate reportage of events surrounding their treatment. As the world grows increasingly technological, graduate programs are beginning to respond by offering more formal training in ethics for future counselors. Earley (1986) insists upon the need to incorporate environmental concerns in a more widely-based approach to treating the elderly's special needs. Fitting (1986) contends that there is a contemporary struggle between the aging patient's desire for autonomy and counselor beneficence. Attempts must be made to avoid either personal or legal paternalism. If the counselor meets the family of the aging patient, the assessment of the patient's needs is more likely to be realistically met.

Counseling the Aged: Ethical Dilemmas

As the 21st century approaches, cultural historians as well as health care professionals must recognize that one of their greatest challenges will be adapting to the needs of an increasingly older population base. Yet not only is society aging, it is also growing rapidly more technological in o...

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America's Aging Population. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 01:20, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1681298.html