Assessment of the Older Client: General Guidelines for Assessment
Assessment of the Older Client: General Guidelines for Assessment
Many self-report measures of anxiety dont have norms for the elderly. The few tests that do are the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory4, and Zungs Self-Rating Anxiety Scale.5 The counselor needs to remember that anxiety in older adults may be an appropriate situation. For example, helplessness anxiety is generated by a potential or actual loss of control or mastery. Also, a series of negative life experiences may result in a persons reaching the breaking point and appearing highly anxious. Many older adults who show symptoms of anxiety disorder have underlying health problems that may be responsible for the symptoms. It is important to evaluate the older adults behavior in context.