Talk to Dr. Chafetz now : 469-233-5566
Paul K. Chafetz, PhD Clinical Psychology
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  • Home
  • Services
  • About
  • Contact
    • Send Dr. Chafetz a Message
    • Contact Information >
      • Office Location
    • Upcoming Events
    • New patient registration forms
    • Site Map
  • Blog
  • Media
    • Speaking Engagements
    • Articles
    • Quizzes
    • Other Media
  • Services
    • Adult Psychology >
      • Midlife Crisis Depression
      • Dealing With Empty Nest Syndrome
      • Adjustment To Retirement
      • Caregiver Support
      • Dealing with Adult Children
      • Dealing with Elderly Parents
      • Dealing With Difficult Relatives
      • Authority and Responsibility in Families
      • Boomerang adult children
      • BOOM: Becoming one's own man
    • Health Psychology >
      • Depression Psychotherapy
      • Anxiety Therapy
      • Insomnia Therapy
      • Chronic Illness Therapy
      • Pain Management Therapy
    • Psychology of Life >
      • Self-Esteem Therapy
      • Stages of Life Psychology
      • Assertiveness Therapy
      • Psychology of Forgiveness
      • Family Psychotherapy
      • Birth Order Psychology
    • Clinical Gero-Psychology >
      • Grief Therapy
      • Dementia Therapy
      • Coping with Senility
    • Forensic Gero-Psychology >
      • Competence to sign a will
      • Contesting a will
      • Guardianship
      • Vulnerability to exploitation
    • Need a speaker?
  • Past Events

Coping with Senility


This word is obsolete and should not be used! 

It carries a powerful but erroneous assumption that serious impairment of thinking ability in a person of advanced age is CAUSED BY THE PERSON'S ADVANCED AGE.  We know that this is an incorrect assumption, since the vast majority of older adults, even the quite elderly, DO NOT HAVE SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT.  In other words, we must look beyond one's age for the cause of an adult's cognitive impairment.  The most common causes are brain diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease or stroke, but can also be reversible, such as infection, dehydration, untreated pain, etc.

If we casually blame cognitive impairment on advanced age, we can reach the dangerous conclusion that, since we cannot change someone's age, we cannot help their cognitive impairment.  We might then fail to get the appropriate medical evaluation for the elder, and thus miss the chance to find and correct a reversible cause of cognitive impairment.  We would, in fact, have committed an "ageist" error.

Punchline:  Do not use the word, "senility."

Phone : 469.233.5566
Email :
PKChafetz@gmail.com
Paul K. Chafetz, PhD: Clinical Psychologist, Psychotherapist
Office Location: 8340 Meadow Rd., #134, Dallas, TX  75231