Katlyn Dupree's Blog

I learned a lot from the lecture on Aging and Sexual Health. I really liked the approach that Dr. Valli took on aging and sexual health; she helped take some of the confusion and awkwardness out of the subject. Sexuality is a sensitive topic even when age is not a factor, but talking about sexuality with the geriatric population can prove even more uncomfortable for both parties. Why is this? In my opinion it is a lack of information, and comfort around the subject. It was helpful hearing from a sex therapist that there is no normal when it comes to sexuality, so expressing this to our clients may help relax them when bringing up this subject with them. Also I feel like the generation in the elderly role has attributed shame and guilt around sex especially being in the “Bible belt.” It was interesting to learn about the differences between males and females and how they respond sexually, it is also interesting to me how psychological sex is and understanding that can help client intera...

The key takeaway points for me from this lecture were the functional implications of a person’s diagnosis when it comes to driving. Driving takes many different skills whether they be physical or cognitive. I enjoyed how we went through different diagnoses that are seen regularly by the driving specialist, and the implications of their disease on their function. This lecture really resonated with me because in March my grandmother was diagnosed with ALS, and her top priority was to continue driving. It was very difficult to help her realize that driving just wasn’t feasible for her anymore due to fatigue, muscle weakness, reaction time, etc. She was having difficulty coming to terms with this. She had already lost so much of her independence, so handing in her keys was the hardest thing for her to do, because this meant her independence was officially gone in her mind. Intervention ideas: For a client who has had a CVA and has left neglect, before taking their skills to the road, an ...