This article describes some of the challenges of counseling adults or seniors with ADHD (who are 60 or older).
“ADHD doesn’t diminish — like your hairline or stamina — with age.”
“In fact, symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may flare and grow after midlife — especially when mixed with normal age-related cognitive decline, worsening physical health, and the lack of structure that often comes with retirement.”
“Findings show that ADHD can look markedly different throughout a person’s lifetime — symptoms shift during the transition from childhood to adolescence and young adulthood, again when a person enters midlife, and again during the senior years. While every subject has a unique symptom profile, the following patterns appear fairly consistently in older adults with ADHD:
- ‘Swiss cheese memory,’ or a memory that is not consistently failing, but also can’t be reliably counted on.
- Other working memory issues such as being easily thrown off course mid-task
- Misplacing items
- Forgetting words or names
- Brain going ‘blank’ periodically
- Difficulty learning new things
- Talking too much, often without realizing it
- Interrupting others
- Trouble following conversations
- Difficulty maintaining relationships and keeping in touch
- Difficulty maintaining order within their homes
- Tremendous struggles to make ends meet financially after a lifetime of poor money management”
“Adults with ADHD need a lot more support than do average aging adults. They struggle to manage their time, conduct themselves appropriately in social settings, and/or accomplish short- and long-term goals — especially after retirement and the loss of a reliable day-to-day routine.”
“When asked to identify their biggest challenges, older adults with ADHD pointed to the following five:
- Not getting things done – procrastination, lack of self-discipline
- Out-of-control emotions – feeling irritable more frequently than in the past, struggling with anxiety and/or mood disorders
- Time-management challenges – setting and sticking to a daily routine, being aware of time’s passing
- The ‘remnants’ of hyperactivity – feeling restless, talking too much, ‘random thoughts whirling in my head’
- Social challenges – feeling misunderstood or judged, speaking impulsively, missing social cues
https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-in-seniors-diagnosis-and-treatment-after-60/
If you are would like to explore how ADHD counseling with Elaine Korngold can help you, book your free 20-minute phone consultation.