SPECIFICITY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AID WITH REGARD TO THE FEATURES OF LATE GERONTOGENESIS

The article covers the problems of dedicated psychological aid provided for individuals in the final ontogenetic period (85-109 years of age) taking into account their age-dependent characteristics. It is not practical to use group therapy techniques with this cohort; more effective alternative is family and individual counseling. Sessions must happen more often and be shorter. Most advantageous for late adulthood is to use the principles of clinical nondirective counseling. Empathic understanding is the main element of positive psychological influence. It must aim at interruption of psychological isolation. It is important that psychological support was congruent on the verbal and non-verbal levels. Emotional attachment to the psychologist should not undergo transformation into psychological dependence. Psychological aid is needed not only by representatives of the final period of gerontogenesis, but by their socio-cultural environment too.