1.1 Emotional intervention guide for the elderly with intellectual disabilities.

The fact that aging -which is common to all- is not
present in the same way in each person, that some
people age better than others, makes us think that this is,
largely an individual and personal process with different
attitudes. There are people who adapt better to old age and
represents for them a different stage, although in the same way
valuable; there are, on the other hand, people who feel their life
devalued and meaningless; and finally there are people who don’t
they can’t even think about it.

(Count, 1997)

Since working with older people with disabilities is different from working with other profiles, we are going to give a series of basic recommendations when working on managing emotions.

To encourage older people with disabilities to learn, it is necessary to know that the way in which they internalise new knowledge or change what they have already acquired is different, for this we must take special care with the following aspects (Adapted from Díaz Veiga et al, 2007):

• Respect differences: Sometimes older people with disabilities have a hard time learning new things. They do not have any difficulty remembering past events but they do have difficulty memorising new knowledge. This does not mean that they cannot, we just have to take it into account, we do not demand more than they can.
• Teaching from everyday life: older people with disabilities learn better what is familiar to them and also motivates them more if it can be useful in their day to day life.
• Encourage participation: It is easier to learn from our own experience, so it is important that the greatest reflections on what happens to them and what provokes what we deal with in the different sessions.
• Highlight learning: it is positive to reinforce older people and make them see what they have learned and how it can be applied to their daily lives.
• Technician skills are critical.

Some important aspects that we must take into account are:

• Listen actively: pay attention to individuals respecting their opinions, their culture and their form of expression.
• Stimulate to learn more: raise meaningful questions, striking examples, introduce challenges
• Show the progress: Summarise, relate and share in relation to the contributions of the participants.
• Analyze, deepen, qualify the differences: take advantage of the strategies of the participants to clarify issues or summarise
• Generate agreements: seek knowledge shared by all, recognising and respecting differences.
• Generate a feeling of well-being in people through respectful treatment. Older people will feel better if:
  • They are called by their name.
  • You are interested in them, asking individually how things are going.
  • A sense of humor is used (beware of using irony and double meanings).
  • Difficulties are recognised , but there are strategies to solve them.
  • Express and sincerely value what is being learned.

It is essential to keep in mind some of the psychological changes that may appear, such as:

• Psychic disorders: memory loss associated with age, dementia, psychosis, delusions, paranoia, neurotic rituals.
• Emotional disorders: loneliness, depression, drowsiness, irritability, emotional lability, insecurity and anguish.
• Behavior disorders: apathy, lower motivation, boredom and disinterest.

In general, most studies find that behavioral disorders are the most frequent in people with Learning Disability throughout all stages of the life cycle. However, mood and anxiety disorders also appear frequently.

Behavior disorders are usually maladaptive patterns of behavior that interfere with the individual’s daily activity and limit him or her in responding to changes and environmental demands. The area most involved would be Dimension II “Adaptive behavior” (conceptual, social and practical skills) of the last definition of the AAMR understands by this “the set of conceptual, social and practical skills learned by people to function in their daily lives ” (Luckasson et al. 2002)

Other changes, no less important, that occur on a psychological level during the aging process are those related to the most emotional and personal part of the individual.

The aging process, as well as the different transformations that originate from it, directly influence the emotional expression of the person who experiences it. At a general level, this stage of the life cycle is characterised by an increase in crises and problems where stressors take on representative relevance due, on the one hand, to the complex life situations that these people present, and on the other, to the difficulties they encounter in dealing with them. In this sense, authors such as Fernández-Ballesteros, Reig and Zamarrón (2008:33), affirm that: the human being is an emotional organism in which intelligence is mixed with feeling and passion when behaving intelligently. Feelings and emotions make up affectivity as an important psychological field.

Thus, below are those significant changes that appear in old age in relation to the affective, emotional and personal sphere of the individual:

Affectivity
As mentioned in previous sections, old age entails a series of new and difficult situations that must be faced by the individual, such as retirement, loss of loved ones, the departure of children or proximity to death, among others. If each of these situations is objectively analysed, it can be considered that they can cause negative affective reactions in the person who suffers them, such as depression, loneliness, discomfort or even suffering. However, and as Fernández-Ballesteros, Reig and Zamarrón (2008) state, the results of different cross-sectional studies that have been carried out regarding the influence of affectivity in old age show that people who are in the process of aging do not express less happiness, well-being or satisfaction with life when compared to younger people. In addition, these studies show that the negative emotional experience occurs less frequently after 60 years of age, since it is from this age that the adequate management of emotions increases, leading to greater affective maturity. Therefore, and taking into account the previous contributions, there is no correlation between age and negative affective reactions. In this sense, Casrtensen (cited in Ruíz, 2010) elaborates a theory, called the theory of socio-emotional selectivity, which allows explaining both well-being and the balance between positive and negative affect in the aging process. In short, it considers that affective and emotional goals tend to be selective during old age, that is, the role of affectivity and cognition are restructured as the years go by.

This fact allows a cohesion between the two that influences the person, causing a greater regulation of emotion that gives rise to a maximization of the positive aspects and a minimisation of the negative ones, which generates greater satisfaction or well-being in the individual.

Personality
It is considered that during the aging process the individual’s personality traits can be highlighted with age, but in no case are significant changes produced in them. In relation to this idea, Moñivas (1998) states that personality remains stable over the years and that people who are in the stage of old age have the same characteristics as when they are young. However, as said author expresses, during this stage of the life cycle a crisis arises in which the desire for personal growth and biological decline become relevant, that is, the individual can evolve in a different way – growing – to the -decreasing- evolution of its biological and social processes.

Therefore, although no notable change is established, personality is affected by factors such as health status, family environment, emotional losses, experience and, ultimately, by the life situation that has befallen them. It should be noted that, although there are no significant personality changes in the individuals who are in this process, one aspect that can be considered and that in this case is a function of it, refers to the adaptation process of these people. In relation to this idea, Papalia and Wendkos (1989) consider that there are different styles of adaptation during the aging process depending on the degree of activity and participation of the person in their life trajectory, as well as personality traits and response habits that characterise it.

In this sense, Liliana Mejías (1993) points out that in a study carried out in 1962 by Luiso and Peterson, two types of guidelines were established regarding the adaptation process; satisfactory and dissatisfied. As for the satisfying ones, they develop into three personality types: mature, deserving, and armored. The mature personality type refers to those people who have adjusted to the different changes, an attitude that in turn allows them to enjoy the new stage that prevails.

These are characterised by accepting reality and understanding the aging process as something positive, making the most of the positive aspects that emerge from it. In the type of personality known as deserving are those people who, at a general level, show an attitude of satisfaction but from a passive perspective, that is, they are satisfied and in turn are content with other people worrying about their well-being. Finally, the designated armored personality type is attributed to those who maintain their happiness by constantly keeping busy. Although they are satisfied with this new stage and with the changes that appear, they show anxious attitudes and concern about what it means to get old and/or sick. In relation to the patterns of dissatisfaction, this is characterised by showing a high degree of aggressiveness and feelings of anger.

Conduct
In order to explain the changes that appear in the behavior of the individual, it is important to bear in mind that it is influenced by both the personality and the life history of the individual. Authors such as Brocklehurst (1985) and Hampton (1991) argue that changes in the behavior of people in old age are the result of their inability to cope with the losses they suffer as a result of the process. In general terms, it is considered that there is a tendency to avoid novel situations due to the lack of resources available to adapt, as well as the effort that this entails.

In addition, routine behaviors and moods of a depressed character are appreciated regarding the affective losses suffered. This fact leads to manifest loneliness and isolation behaviors that originate from the fear of losing more loved and important people. It should be noted that the stress that the aging process generates in some people provokes certain behaviors, such as an irregular rhythm of action, lack of coordination, as well as repetitive behaviors.

Death
The phenomenon of death is one more stage of the cycle of life and, although it is generally an issue that is ignored, during old age it becomes aware as it is considered as a closer circumstance. In relation to this aspect, Fericgla (2002) affirms that the conception of life and death acquires a new meaning for the individual, however, it is only customary to think about the phenomenon of death when it is relatively close or there are losses. in the closest environment.

It is important to highlight that the person, depending on religious beliefs, culture, education and their own experience, gives a meaning to a greater or lesser depth, since these factors condition the personal idea regarding the notion of life and death. There are different studies that collect the most significant attitudes in old age regarding death, and in this sense Esberger (1980) reiterates that these people are familiar with this subject, and some even carry out prior work to prepare for said event. Ziegler (1980) points out that those aspects that generate feelings of concern and anguish in people who are in the aging process allude to dying alone, fear of pain and fear of nonsense.

Objectives

• Promote knowledge of those factors that can contribute to active and healthy aging of the group of people with disabilities.
• Determine the attitudes and values ​​that the professional must have for proper care and comprehensive support of people.
• Guide and give guidelines.
• Develop skills in the identification of needs for the promotion and maintenance of the person’s health.
• Promote the social integration of the elderly by fostering their relationships among equals as well as with other groups and increasing their social support network.
• Promote healthy living habits among the elderly population in order to promote health and prevent illnesses.
• Make older people aware of the importance of physical exercise as a means of improving their quality of life, providing them with the necessary skills to practice it.
• Provide the elderly with strategies to deal with emotional processes that are more likely to predominate at their age, such as depression, anxiety, sleep problems, eating problems, sexual relations,…