Clinical Geropsychology: Approaches to Older Adults With Disability

With advancing old age comes increased risk of chronic physical or mental impairment and resulting disability, with many potential paths to adaptation. An understanding of the types of resources older adults may utilize to adapt to disability, and how they move through disablement and adjustment processes, can assist professionals as they work with disabled older adults to achieve optimal outcomes. This article reviews characteristics and disability trends in older adults, research and treatment issues in disability, and both clinical and public policy implications regarding disability. The example of dealing with vision loss due to age-related eye disease is used to exemplify chronic impairment, which can be accompanied by comorbid depression with resulting functional disability, and the types of resources available. Disability is considered in the context of older adults’ health, personal factors, and external factors representing their life circumstances.