The Importance Of The Psychogerontologist In Home Care Startups For The Elderly
It is clear that many nursing homes have a staff of professionals who really follow the famous Person-Centered Care model, but in many of them, due to lack of resources, this is not the case.
This is why it is worth emphasizing the importance of the Psychogerontologist in these new companies, because they really fulfill a need: that of serve older people who cannot afford the price of a residence In this article we will see why the role of the Psychogerontologist is important in home care Startups, a type of service with a lot of potential.
Typically, senior and senior care companies They have a staff of professional caregivers, that is, nursing assistants who provide high-quality services to older people. Furthermore, given the high demand of people who require care, a high job opportunity is generated for social and health personnel.
On the other hand, and The Person-Centered Care model on which these initiatives are based is fundamentally an approach highly defended by Spanish and French gerontologists, and it is also international. According to gerontologist Teresa Martínez, it is a philosophy of care based on which people are considered to have dignity and rights, which is also understood as indirect autonomy.
It is for this reason that even though the involvement of nursing assistants in these companies is so important, so is that of psychogerontologists, since person-centered care must become effective, helping assistants to understand well the continuous changes that happen to older people due to their neurodegenerative diseases, related neuropsychiatric symptoms and the defense mechanisms that people develop when we age.
What is the role of the Psychogerontologist in a Startup?
To begin with, Psychogerontology helps Nursing Assistants, but to know how we must first answer another question: What does a Psychogerontologist do?
Gerontology is the science that studies aging and just as there are Geriatric Doctors, there are Gerontological Psychologists who study aging and promote active aging and help people to persevere and maintain their autonomy as much as possible, helping them progress in their life line.
In fact, rights do not depend on age. We are all worthy of receiving social and health care and even more so when we are older. We also have Geriatric and Gerontological Nursing and also Nursing Auxiliaries; In the end, it is the Auxiliaries who are in direct contact with the elderly, assuming all the problems of working with the elderly, often receiving little support from other professionals due to lack of financial resources.
In the same way that Auxiliaries support Nursing, A Gerontologist Psychologist supports the Auxiliaries For this reason, it is very important to work together, since there is still a long way to go in person-centered care for older people; because we have specialized care in childhood, in adolescence, in adulthood, but what about in the third and fourth ages?
In fact, Gonzalo Berzosa, an expert Psychologist and Gerontologist, who is 70 years old, affirms that we have everything for early care, everything about cognitive stimulation and even inclusive school, that pediatrics knows everything about children and that we have everything until 20, until 25 and until 30 years old, but after 30 years we have nothing. It is for this reason that Psychogerontologists have a great responsibility.
What are the competencies of the Psychogerontologist?
Fundamentally, the tasks that Psychogerontologists deal with are the following.
The added value in the relationship with patients
There are several advantages that Home Care Startups that have Psychogerontologists on their team can enjoy:
1. Diagnosis
The team of Nursing Assistants with more than one patient in charge they tend to develop stress and it is very important that they know at all times the diagnosis of the elderly person they are caring for.
2. Tracking
For the above reason, it is very important to monitor the elderly person, as well as their neurodegenerative changes (in the event that they suffer from a neurodegenerative disease) and their physical changes.
3. Person-Centered Care
It is vitally important to work together with nursing assistants to offer person-centered care that is as personalized as possible in order to promote the autonomy of older people, but also to avoid the famous Burnout Effect in assistants. of nursing.
4. Update
A Psychogerontologist is also a continuous researcher, since in general only those who are truly passionate about the profession manage to practice. It is evidence that to be successful it is essential to be aware of new advances to keep up with the market.
It is vitally important to know the psychopharmacological advances in order to carry out adequate therapeutic monitoring pharmacological but also non-pharmacological to older people and thus honestly offer Person-Centered Care to promote the autonomy and dignity of people in the best possible way.
Complete care for the fourth and third age
In conclusion, Psychogerontologists are professionals specialized in neurodegenerative diseases and their behavioral expression, who They embrace the disciplines that study aging: Gerontology and Grausology.
