The Biopsychosocial Medicine Paradigm
The biopsychosocial medicine paradigm states that an inextricable connection occurs between the biological process of a person and his mental and social status. It proposes that it would influence the other two to change one of the three processes in an entity. For my relationship with my 86-year-old grandfather, this paper applies the model.
Physiological Standpoint
From a physiological standpoint, for the last six years, the person has been suffering from type 2 diabetes. While the cause of diabetes may have been his former lifestyle, as the family has a history of the condition, it is likely that the major predisposing factor was his biological structure. The subject is also prone to charge temperamental fits and outbursts that could also be psychological predisposing factors to the disease. However, ever since his grandchildren started visiting him at his retirement home, his outbursts have weakened, and he now relates well with his colleagues at home. This shows that isolation from his family had also impeded his recovery.
Aging Process and Activity Theory
My subject's aging process can be defined by the activity theory of physical aging (Diggs 79). Before he was diagnosed with diabetes and admitted to an assisted living environment, he lived a largely sedentary lifestyle. However, after being admitted to the retirement home, the interactions with his colleagues kept him busier than he was at home. Consequently, he is currently more lively than he was back then, proving that increased activity improved his aging process.
Erickson's Psychosocial Model
As for Erickson's psychosocial model, the subject is in the stage of ego integrity. This is because he is older than 65 and that he recently came to terms with the fact that his life has been successful. Due to his age, he still remembers his grandchildren's birthdays which shows that not much has changed in his brain and memory (Cook 295). His cognition is still intact since he still beats most of his colleagues in the assisted living home at chess.
Works Cited
Cook, Emily. "The Effects of Reminiscence on Psychological Measures of Ego Integrity in Elderly Nursing Home Residents." Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 1991, vol. 5, no. 5 pp. 292-298.
Diggs, Jessica. "Activity Theory of Aging." In Encyclopedia of Aging and Public Health (pp. 79-81). Springer US, 2008.
