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The importance of the Psychogerontologist in home care startups to seniors

The importance of the Psychogerontologist in home care startups to seniors

March 1, 2024

It is clear that many geriatric residences have a staff of professionals who really follow the famous model of Person Centered Care, 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 cater to seniors who can not afford the price of a residence . In this article we will see why it is important the role of the Psychogerontologist in Home Care Startups, a type of service with a lot of potential.

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The model of Person Centered Care

Normally, the third and fourth age care companies They have a staff of professionalized caregivers , that is, nursing assistants that provide high quality services to the elderly. In addition, given the high demand of people who require attention, a high labor opportunity is created for social health personnel.


On the other hand, and The model of Person Centered Care On which these initiatives are based, it is fundamentally a very defended approach by Spanish and French gerontologists and gerontologists, and it is also international. According to the gerontologist Teresa Martínez, it is a philosophy of care from which people are considered to possess dignity and rights, which is also understood as indirect autonomy.

It is for this reason that the involvement of nursing assistants in these companies is still so important, so is that of psychogerontologists, since the person-centered care must become effective, helping the assistants to understand well the continuous changes that happen to older people due to their neurodegenerative diseases, the related neuropsychiatric symptoms and the defense mechanisms that people develop as we get older.


  • Related article: "4 defense mechanisms used by the elderly"

What is the role of the Psychogerontologist in a Startup?

From the start, Psychogerontology helps the Nursing Aids, but to know how we must first answer another question: What does a Psychogerontologist or Psychogerontologist do?

Gerontology is the science that studies aging , and as there are Geriatric Doctors, there are Gerontologists Psychologists who study aging and promote active aging and help people to persevere and maintain their autonomy whenever possible, helping them in the progress of their lifeline.

In fact, rights do not depend on age. We are all worthy of receiving social care and even more when we are older. We also have Geriatric and Gerontology Nursing and also Nursing Assistants; 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 the Auxiliaries give support to Nursing, a Gerontologist Psychologist supports the Auxiliaries . It is very important for this reason to work together, since there is still a long way to go in focusing on the person in the elderly; because we have specialized attention in childhood, in adolescence, in adulthood, but in the third and fourth age?

In fact, Gonzalo Berzosa, expert psychologist and gerontologist, with 70 years of age, affirms that we have everything for early attention, all about cognitive stimulation and even inclusive school, that pediatrics knows everything about children and that we have everything up to 20, up to 25 and up to 30 years, but after 30 years we have nothing. It is for this reason that Psychogerontologists have a great responsibility.

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What are the powers of the Psychogerontologist?

Fundamentally, the tasks that Psychogerontologists are dealing with are the following.

  • Propose treatments for neurodegenerative diseases in the context of clinical intervention.
  • Know, select and apply psychological assessment instruments in aging.
  • Interpret the results of an evaluation and make diagnoses.
  • Design intervention programs taking into account which are the goals, the tools and the appropriate methodologies in each case.
  • Advise and intervene in the family environment of the elderly , both healthy and sick.
  • Work in with Nursing Aids.
  • Continually investigate new methods of intervention and new advances, as well as the Geronto - Technology.
  • Promote research lines in the field of psychogerontology.

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 often develop stress , and it is very important that they know at all times the diagnosis of the elderly person whom they attend.

2. Follow up

For the above reason it is very important to track the elderly person, as well as their neurodegenerative changes (in the case of suffering a neurodegenerative disease) and their physical changes.

3. Person-Centered Care

It is vitally important to work hand in hand with the nursing assistants to offer a person-centered care as personalized as possible in order to promote the autonomy of the elderly, but also to avoid the famous Burnout effect in the auxiliaries. of nursing.

  • Maybe you're interested: "Burnout (Burning Syndrome): how to detect it and take action"

4. Update

A Psychogerontologist is also a continuous researcher, since in general they only manage to exercise the truly passionate of the profession. It is an evidence that to be successful it is essential to be aware of new developments to be up to market.

It is vital to know the psychopharmacological advances to be able to carry out an adequate therapeutic follow-up pharmacological but also non-pharmacological to the elderly and thus honestly offer a Person-Centered Care to promote in the best possible way the autonomy and dignity of the people.

A complete attention for the fourth and third age

In conclusion, Psychogerontologists and Psychogerontologists are professionals specialized in neurodegenerative diseases and their behavioral expression, which they embrace the disciplines that study aging : Gerontology and Grausology.

They are truly important, then, in the Home Care Service (SAD) of the new intermediary companies between Nursing Assistants and the Elderly.


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