Geriatric Psychiatry at the Hôpital en santé mentale Albert-Prévost: Fostering Patient Resilience Through Positive Psychiatry
Quebec’s population is aging, a situation that will only increase over the next decades. While in 2017 approximately 1 in 5 people belonged to the 65 and over the age group, this will be the case for a quarter of Quebecers in 2031, and almost a third of them by 2061. The trajectories of aging are unique and depend on various factors, such as the vulnerabilities and strengths of the individual and his interaction with his loved ones and society. Old age is often accompanied by a series of losses. This creates constraints that hamper autonomy. Disease can be very confronting for the aging individual with reduced capacities and become a reminder of an inevitable death approaching. It can sometimes become a certain form of trauma. This process challenges caregivers to think about a therapeutic projects promoting resilience, a concept that goes beyond adjustment, and that suggests potential for development and psychological rebound. At Albert-Prévost Mental Health Hospital, geriatric psychiatry patients often have a triple vulnerability: cognitive impairment, physical disability and chronic or de novo psychiatric illness. Their needs are therefore multiple and complex. This is how, in 2017, we developed a positive psychiatry approach in our geriatric psychiatry service. Our goal is to promote the well-being and resilience of our patients through different levels of positive intervention. The strategies can then range from simple positive orientation during the psychiatric interview to positive psychotherapy, including psychoeducation, bibliotherapy and the prescription of certain positive psychology intervention.