Charbinger

Hi there. Thanks for doing this AMA. I'm a mental health counselor who is about to start practicing therapy part-time at local nursing and elder care homes, in addition to the work I typically do with adults at an outpatient level of care. I've enjoyed working with a handful of aging and elderly individuals in outpatient settings before, however I don't have that much experience with the geriatric population in general, nor do I have any extensive experience at the hospice/palliative care level. What insights, if any, can you offer into the particular mental health issues that this population tends to face? Specifically, what kinds of mental health conditions do you observe the most frequently (I imagine dementia/neurodegenerative disorders and depression might come up quite a lot), and how often and in what capacity do you ever collaborate with mental health counselors in this setting?

Thanks again for sharing!

I hope you don't mind my asking a few more questions since your reply was so informative...

Regarding medications, so with patients on methylphenidate, what are the next steps to take to combat the side effect of developing poor/worsening appetite (which in and of itself can already be a symptom of clinical depression)? How do you and other providers find a balance between managing the physical symptoms and enhancing quality of life for hospice/palliative care patients? And on that note, how do you personally manage your emotional boundaries and attachments to your patients? Any self-care tips?