Questions We Can Help You To Answer

Paper instructions:

Question: The Healing Power of Touch
From the beginning of life, touch is instrumental in human development. Siegel (2012) identifies relationships as sharing and communication that is unique and compassionate as foremost in developing relationships. Touch is an integral part of this communication. Edvardsson, Sandman, & Rasmussen, (2003) identify growth not just within a patient or client but within the caregiver as well who discerns the use of touch as a healing agent. These are only two of the contemporary ideas that will influence our understanding of touch in many ways.

Consider the need for human touch in its many forms as loneliness, loss, and transitions away from familiarity may reinforce a feeling of isolation and abandonment.

Read the following scenario: 

Admitted due to falling and increasing frailty, 88-year-old Eddie is lonely and separated by a 45-minute ride from friends and relatives. He was admitted to the only care facility equipped to take him. Cognitive functioning is typical for his age–a little memory loss, slower reaction times, and challenges with balancing in new situations. He is away from familiar TV stations, newspapers, faith communities and other resources he would typically enjoy. Familiar foods from his heritage that he used to enjoy have been replaced by American cuisine, which he despises. Eddie yearns for his handmade tamales that his wife used to make as well as Mexican rice. The familiar fragrances of such foods are nowhere to be found. The music he hears piped in the recreation area is based on 1940's era of swing music. Missing Ranchero and Mariachi tunes full of passion and history, he finds himself talking to himself and singing alone in his room. He calls himself "A Misplaced Man." Traditional approaches and therapies such as woodcrafts, singing, card playing, etc. have had no impact on him. Therefore, he is a candidate for a more nontraditional approach.

In this discussion, you will search for a peer-reviewed article geared toward the healing power of touch or other nontraditional therapies. You may find information related to reflexology, hospice services and palliative care-and maybe even animal therapy.

Adopt the role of a member of the care team such as: therapist, social worker, chaplain, or such.
Craft your answer so that it is understandable to the family members.
Using the article you identified on healing and touch:

Assess the impact of social relationships on aging, emphasizing an aging theory.
Explain his cognitive functioning and how the distance from familiarity has affected him.
Recommend a therapeutic approach to deal with loss and grief. 
Explain the benefits of a therapeutic effort or any alternative therapeutic approach to address loss.

References
Edvardsson, J., Sandman, P., & Rasmussen, R. (2003). Meanings of giving touch in the care of older patients: becoming a valuable person and professional. Journal Of Clinical Nursing, 12(4), 601–609.

Siegel, D. J. (2012). An Integrative handbook of the mind. New York: W. W. Norton and Company.

( you must use at least one peer-reviewed article and one reference from the readings to support your answer)

unit reading:  Psychosocial Changes
INTRODUCTION

Grandfather and grandson using digital tablet. © istockphoto.com Quote: 'A healthy social life is found only, when in the mirror of each soul the whole community finds its reflection, and when in the whole community the virtue of each one is living.'
This unit addresses the biopsychosocial elements of aging, the different theories that have been used to explain aging, as well as changing perceptions and attitudes. You will have the option to review a video that examines the status of individuals and populations and their relationship to successful aging. Is it possible that individuals do not develop diseases as they age? In 2007, the Wellderly Study identified groups of people who seem to be protected from worsening medical conditions, possibly due to gene variants that guard against the inevitable decline of mental health, possibly resulting in a greater thrust in physical health. Conducted by the Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI) from California, researchers compared genomes from two groups of individuals identified as wellderly and from typical aging populations. There was a significantly lower risk for heart disease and Alzheimer's but no difference regarding the development of Type 2 diabetes, cancer, or stroke. Their conclusion focused on the protection against what we consider inevitable cognitive decline, attributing cognitive activity as a factor in healthy aging. With this understanding, we can see how positive approaches and coping skills developed through psychosocial behaviors may help an individual ward off disease. Therefore, because the wellderly group is better educated, demonstrates increased physical activity, and weighs less than the average population, concentrating on psychosocial factors may provide a source of focus for those serving this population. How does this connect with transitions?

Two hands - parting. © istockphoto.com Quote: 'A healthy social life is found only, when in the mirror of each soul the whole community finds its reflection, and when in the whole community the virtue of each one is living.' -Rudolf Steiner
Transitions call for unique responses to challenges. They are a commonly shared experience involving adults, therapists, social workers and professionals supporting treatment for the adult (Zakrajsek, Schuster, Guenther, & Lorenz, 2013). It is not an individual experience, but conceived and developed through a collaborative effort to advocate for the individual's health and well-being. Using our expertise and incorporating their perspective and desires is paramount to equipping caregivers as well as the aging adult with support that is unique to their own needs. Psychosocial influences are seen in a variety of ways and creativity in responding to challenges in multiple dimensions of development are now being recognized as beneficial in continued well-being (Hughes, 2014).

When we consider a senior as a taker of society and not a contributor to society, we do not focus on the social benefits of aging individuals as volunteers and creative caregivers of their own (Hughes, 2014). Self-efficacy, individual development, and potential for growth are reflected in learning, social connectedness, and generativity with learning providing a strong centering on continued development (Saliene, 2015).

In different cultures, the socialization and psychological components encourage self-reflection and development of human potential. East/West philosophical ideas may counter each other in developing a concept of the successful self but we may find that integrating ideas from both philosophies gives us the strongest resource for self-knowledge, self-esteem, and resilience to upcoming challenges.