Mental Health affects a population, that one day may be YOU!!!
Imagine that one or both or your
parents has been diagnosed with dementia. They have lost the ability to
remember small details, their constantly depressed, they are experiencing
hallucinations and they have a hard time paying attention to you. For many of us that were raised by our
parents this would be a hard reality. The day we get a phone call from the police
department identifying that they have our parent and found them wandering
around unsure of what they were doing or where they were going, would be an
incredibly sad moment to many of these loved ones. Often times when you hear about mental health
you hear about our young population.
Mental Health affects our
emotional, psychological and social ability to function effectively in our communities
and amongst people. One of the
populations that is significantly overlooked is our aging population of
elders. According to the world health
organization "between 2015 and 2050 the world's population of over 60 will
nearly double." Mental health
disorders, such as dementia, mean that these individuals are less capable of
taking care of their everyday responsibilities and task on their own, therefore
counting on others to help them thrive and get by in life. That means we have a strong increasing
population of individuals that are extremely vulnerable to mistreatment and
exploitation of others if we do not have successful plans and supports put into
place.
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