Biopsychosocial Assessment and Aging
Aging involves a whole person, so a biopsychosocial assessment of our clients is critical to guide effective interventions. Biopsychosocial assessment is essential in guiding effective interventions because it is a model that views health and illness in old age from physical and biological factors. In addition, this model views health and illness in aging from the aggregate effects of a lifetime of social, psychological, and social processes. Therefore, the use of this model provides a framework to examine health and illness from a biological course of decline throughout the lifespan (Rook, Charles & Heckhausen, 2011). This paper examines biopsychosocial assessment tools used to examine health and illness in old age. This evaluation discusses tools used for assessing physical/social health and mental health screening tools.
Mental Health Screening Tools/Assessments
The biopsychosocial model of health and illness incorporates three major components i.e. biological, psychological, and social. These three domains form the basis with which this model is used to examine health and illness at different developmental stages including old age. The biological domain examines the course of decline throughout an adults lifespan as well as physical changes. Physical changes and biological decline in old age increase older adults vulnerability to acute and chronic conditions. On the other hand, the social domain relates to interpersonal factors like community activities and social interactions with respect to their effect on health and illness. The psychological domain relates to mental and emotional aspects of health and behavior in relation to behavior (Hardie, 2021). This implies that the psychological domain is the premise for mental health screening or assessment in aging.
There is a wide range of mental health screening tools/assessments that can be used in aging. These assessment or screening tools are used depending on the specific mental health condition or aspect of wellness to be assessed. Kendall (2019) notes that the most common health problems affecting older adults in the psychological domain are depression, delirium, and cognitive impairment. The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), the...
…with mental, physical, and/or social health issues. They will provide information regarding the functioning ability and cognitive wellbeing of individual clients. Insights obtained from these assessment tools can then be used to guide the next steps in the counseling process.In conclusion, aging is a development stage that is characterized by changes that occur in different domains including physical, psychological, and mental health. When dealing with older adults in the field of psychiatry, it is important to adopt approaches that cater to the needs and problems of the whole person. The biopsychosocial model of health and wellness is an approach that provides a holistic view of a person across these domains. The application of this model involves the use of different screening tools for mental, physical, and social wellbeing. The various mental health screening tools, as well as assessment instruments for social, behavioral, and physical wellbeing, can be integrated into counseling approaches. Insights obtained from the use of these assessment tools can help guide the next course of…
References
Aas, I.H.M. (2014). Collecting information for rating Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF): Sources of information and methods for information gathering. Current Psychiatry Reviews, 10(4), 330-347.
Hardie, M. (2021). Three aspects of health and healing: The biopsychosocial model in medicine. Retrieved from Washington University School of Medicine website: https://surgery.wustl.edu/three-aspects-of-health-and-healing-the-biopsychosocial-model/
Kendall, W.H. (2019). Assessment of older people 4: Assessing the psychological domain. Nursing Times, 115(8), 44-48.
Rook, K.S., Charles, S.T. & Heckhausen, J. (2011). Aging and health. Health Psychology. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195342819.013.0015
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