Gossip served as a special social glue to keep older people embedded in these webs of convenience and allowed them to vent so that they could maintain ties and share space with each other despite frustration.
Her research revealed that older adults engaged in gossip at local restaurants and shops as a way to connect with others, maintain social ties and combat loneliness.
They have a sadistic personality.
Emotional sadism- someone who comes off as harsh, aggressive, intimidating, or demeaning is rooted in gossip. This type of character enjoys knowing that someone else is experiencing pain or misfortune, delighted that it's not happening to them.
From Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and diabetes to hypothyroidism, Wilson's disease, and epilepsy, a number of medical conditions are associated with irritability, anger, and despair—each of which can lead to an uptick in complaining.
These include a negative impact on the person's self-confidence, work or school performance, home life and mental health. People who have been the subject of gossip have been shown to develop depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and eating disorders. Plus it is never just the person that is targeted that is affected.
If someone comes to you with some kind of gossip or rumor or toxic talk, a very simple, “I have absolutely no opinion about that at all,” is an easy way to stop the conversation in it's tracks. It's a refusal to engage. Boom, done, that's it. And don't respond otherwise.
Gossiping can also bring on exhaustion, anxiety, or depression. Experts also warn that gossiping can cause long-term physical and mental issues like panic attacks, guilt, and in extreme cases, post-traumatic stress disorder.
A big reason that parents develop a more pessimistic attitude with age is boredom. Health conditions and weakness may leave older people sitting around for most of their day. This inactivity encourages them to act out more frequently because they are discontented with their daily lives.
Chronic pain, stress, and loneliness can lead to crankiness in elderly populations especially during times of transition, but seniors who are inexplicably cruel or aggressive may be suffering from deeper issues like physical pain, depression, or dementia that needs to be evaluated by a doctor.
Gossip comes from the Old English word god-sibb, or godparent. It was a term given to a woman's close female friend after the birth of her child, a word reflecting the powerful bond between them. But somewhere along the way, it gained a bad connotation.
Extroverts gossip more than introverts and people who are wealthier and well-educated gossip more than people who have less money and education. Women also gossip more than men, but only neutrally. On average, people spent about 52 minutes a day gossiping out of 16 waking hours.
Old People Overshare Because They Lose The Ability to Filter Important Information. It's a pretty common belief that "the filter," which stops us from speaking before thinking, becomes increasingly thinner as we age. A new study confirms that older people really are more likely to overshare.
Excessive talking, also known as garrulity, can be associated with dementia, or cognitive impairment. It is necessary that you take your father to a doctor who can recommend a neurologist and psychologist who can perform appropriate evaluations to determine if he might be suffering from some form of dementia.
It's normal
Caregiver resentment is more common than you think. It can happen in all types of caregiver relationships, whether that be a spouse caring for a spouse, a parent caring for a child or a child caring for a parent.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines an “older adult” as someone who is at least 60 years old. Many states may also have different definitions of “elderly” when determining what resources are available in cases of elder abuse, although most states commonly use 65 years of age as the cut-off.
Avoid hurrying older patients.
Try speaking more slowly to give them time to process what is being asked or said, and don't interrupt. Once interrupted, a patient is less likely to reveal all of their concerns.
Depression is common in people with Alzheimer's and related dementias. Dementia can cause some of the same symptoms as depression, and depression can be an early warning sign of possible dementia. Suicide attempts may also increase in people recently diagnosed with dementia.
Gossip, like teasing, can be harmless or, at its other extreme, malicious. As we shall see, much of what is written about the functions of gossip is positive, but gossip as verbal abuse is nonetheless a frequent reality. Verbal abuse generally takes the form of one person's saying something nasty to another person.