Professional and Ethical Responsibilities for Psychologists Working With the Elderly

Counseling psychologists and other mental health pro-fessionals will be providing more services in the future to elderly persons than they have in the past. Demographic population changes will necessitate this shift of resources. There are approximately 25.6 million people in the United States today age 65 or older comprising 11 % of our popula-tion. The fastest growing age group in the United States is that at the end of the lifespan, the 75-plus and 85plus age groups (Eutler B Lewis, 1982). Older persons have not used psychological services on an outpatient basis to any great extent, even with the passage in 1975 of legislation mandating specialized services for mentally ill elderly within community mental health centers (Gatz, Symer, & Lawton, 1982). Instead, older people with psychological problems have been treated by mental health professionals in variou