An attempt by psychology students to conduct tests for age-related dementia among their family members encountered aggression.
This was shared by the well-known therapist and physician, Zhibek Zholdasova, literally:
A couple of weeks ago, I was teaching psychology students to use a dementia detection test. I gave them an assignment to test all their family members within a week.
A week later, they returned. Half of them hadn’t completed the assignment. But the other half were shocked by the results.
In this small social experiment, our mentality and our attitude toward the elderly are immediately evident.
A couple of students reported that their parents had told them to leave their grandparents alone and not stir up who knows what.
Another student mentioned that his grandmother couldn’t handle the test, and when he attempted to inform his parents, he was met with aggression. His parents scolded him and prohibited any further actions.
A few other students were quite surprised that their grandparents couldn’t manage it and it’s quite possible they have dementia.
After this, a barrage of questions emerged: what should be done about it?
Other students, when asked if they would be willing to take care of the elderly, all responded with a unanimous «no.» I tried to find out why. They explained that the elderly demand too much, it’s too difficult to please them, they’re constantly nitpicking, asking unnecessary questions, getting annoyed, and thinking it’s normal.
In essence, they listed everything that leads to burnout among relatives and caregivers. Not everyone knows how to work with the elderly, especially those with dementia.»
