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Aging-Related Conditions and Topics That I Cover

Aging can bring about emotions & thoughts, some urgent, and some ongoing. You may have heard that "It takes courage to go through aging." You may find yourself thinking, "These are my last chances to get what I want.", or "How can I possibly make it?" You may wonder whether you can bear to live alone or whether your partner can stand having you home all the time. Some moments are frustrating: "Why did I drop that?" or "They keep telling me to slow down." You may fear a future cancer diagnosis or losing your mobility, independence, hearing, and sexual desire. Even not falling down may be a constant challenge. Navigate these and other aging-related conditions and topics thoughtfully with the help of Let's Talk About Aging.

Different Aging-Related Conditions and Topics

The aging-related conditions and topics I work on often involve physical, emotional, and behavioral changes. Sometimes, these changes arrive gradually; sometimes, they come as a shock. No one feels adequately prepared for this stage of their life. Either way, they can require more thought, support, and adaptation than people expect.

Troubling Moods

Aging may bring fear, anxiety, shock, confusion, depression, anger, grief, resentment, guilt, regret, frustration, hopelessness, loneliness, helplessness, or any of these, including an addiction. These moods may appear after a loss, a diagnosis, a retirement decision, a family disappointment, or the realization that the body or mind is changing. Talking about these moods can help make them more understandable and less isolating.

Changes in Relationships

Many people seek aging-related therapy and counseling as their personal and professional relationships shift. These shifts in relationships include caring for an ailing spouse or feeling changes in your connections with your children, friends, or colleagues. Such situations can bring sadness, anger, blame, and confusion, especially when everyone involved is trying to manage their own version of the change.

Work and Retirement Transitions

Questions about work and retirement as you age can be deeply unsettling. Whether you're pondering how long you can work and what adjustments you may need to continue working or how you can prepare to retire, I can help you navigate life transitions involving work and retirement as you grow older.

Cognitive and Physical Health Decline

A sudden or gradual decline in your cognitive or physical health as you age may interfere with daily life. Memory concerns, reduced stamina, less coordination, illness, or treatment demands can bring panic, depression, denial, anger, or resentment. My aging-related therapy and counseling services can help you navigate the necessary lifestyle adjustments without feeling entirely overtaken by fear.

Existential and Faith Crises

Aging can also bring questions about life's meaning, faith, ideals, and the approach of death and dying. You may be thinking about your goals, your understanding of God, your life's themes, or the changes happening in the world around you, and feel distressed by attacks on people or ideals you once admired. These thoughts deserve serious and respectful attention and support from an experienced therapist.

Typical Examples of People Seeking Aging-Related Therapy and Counseling

People opt for aging-related therapy and counseling for many reasons. Sometimes, they need only a few sessions; sometimes, they benefit from working on themselves regularly over months or longer.
  • A middle-aged couple with adolescent children may realize that one of their parents is having increasing memory problems. They take on the task of responding, but the experience is shocking and highly emotional for them and may require self-control and practiced wisdom. A few sessions with an experienced therapist, for one or both of them, can be very helpful in this situation.
  • A highly educated woman in her late 60s may notice signs of aging on her face and hands. This may panic her, especially if she is still hoping to find a husband and realizes that her usual ways of acting with and thinking about men may need to change. In this scenario, sessions of aging-related psychotherapy may be useful to reorient her mindset.
  • An overweight man in his early 60s with a sedentary job may be diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes. To manage his condition, many changes in the practical details of his life, sense of himself, and treatment of his body may be necessary. These changes may make him feel angry, resentful, trapped, and tempted to avoid what will help him. Aging-related therapy and counseling can help him accept the demands of the illness by facing and changing his self-defeating attitudes.
  • A middle-aged mother may realize that her only child is preparing to leave home for university. Having devoted almost every hour of her life to her kid's care, she may feel shocked by the looming emptiness in her life. After a period of increased house-cleaning, she may gradually sink into a serious depression. Regular therapy for at least a few months may be needed to overcome these thoughts and emotions and orient her towards the rest of her life.
  • A couple in their early 60s may feel increasingly distant from their married son, his family, and their grandchildren. They may feel perplexed, grieving, and frustrated while searching for reasons and ways to become closer again. If they begin blaming each other, the marriage itself may feel threatened. One or both of them need aging-related therapy and counseling to express themselves, begin to think more calmly about the situation, and develop new perspectives.
  • A woman in her early 70s who is still working may notice less stamina and less ability to carry several projects in her mind at once. She may try to pretend aging is not happening and believe that if she fights it, she can overcome it. At the same time, she may resent being told to slow down, even as she makes more slips in functioning. Aging-related therapy and counseling sessions can help her find new perspectives, discover new models to follow, make adjustments, and change her attitude towards "doing aging well."

Tips and Suggestions for Aging Well

  • Focus Your Attention: Slow down and do things one at a time, whether you're working on keeping yourself, your clothes clean, or your house clean and tidy, or simply lying down to rest during the day. Pay particular attention to your safety, on stairs and outside, with traffic and changing weather conditions.
  • Care About What You Eat: Do not eat only leftovers. Keep your diet old-fashioned and balanced. Limit alcohol and sugar intake.
  • Use Your Time by Making Projects Out of Activities: Keep your mind and body engaged by trying to learn something new each day, visiting places you have always wanted to see, reading books you have always wanted to read, and learning about topics you have always left until "later".
  • Make and Maintain Connections: Contacting someone in your life for a quick chat or visit, going out into the street and meeting people in your neighborhood, and making the effort to interact with others can help life feel more alive and worthwhile.

When to Seek Aging-Related Therapy and Counseling

Aging can be a time to think about the themes of your life: how you spent most of your effort, attention, and thought. Is there some change you want to make in your remaining years? Is this a time to rethink your lifelong journey regarding religion or your understanding of God? Are you feeling distraught over how much familiar, traditional society has been challenged? Have you been personally accused of attitudes that you abhor? Do you fear for the future of your children and grandchildren? It may be time to seek aging-related therapy and counseling when your worries about aging begin to dominate your thoughts, affect your relationships, interfere with health decisions, or make daily life feel smaller and more frightening. You may also seek help when you are caring for someone who is aging, facing retirement, grieving changes in family life, managing illness, or questioning their ideals and beliefs.
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Getting Started

You do not need to wait until you are in crisis. One session, several sessions, or a longer course of counseling or psychotherapy with me may help you think more clearly, feel less alone, and make the adjustments aging asks of you. Contact me today to book an apppointment.
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90 Stratford Cres. Toronto, ON M4N 1C6
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