Diversity Through The Ages: Youth and Older Adults

Flashcards covering the challenges and support frameworks for street-involved youth and older adults, including housing insecurity, foster care transitions, elder abuse, and dementia.

Street Involved Youth

Young people up to $age\text{ } 24$ who are no longer living with parents or guardians, and who lack stable housing, employment, and educational opportunities.

Adolescent Parent Statistics

In Canada, there are $13,000$ infants born to adolescents each year, and these mothers have higher rates of mental health disorders, repeat pregnancies, and substance use.

LGBTQ2S Homeless Youth

A demographic representing $20-30$ of homeless youth that experiences high rates of discrimination in shelters and faces a suicide risk $14\times$ higher than straight or CISgender youth.

Crown Wards

Youth who have been permanently removed from their homes and families, with the province assuming formal responsibility as a "parent."

Continued Care and Support for Youth (CCSY)

A program providing financial support of $\text{\$850}/\text{month}$ and guidance up to $age\text{ } 21$ for youth who qualify after leaving care.

Voluntary Youth Service Agreement

A plan available to youth aged $16$ or $17$ who cannot be adequately protected at home to help them work toward safe and appropriate housing options.

Learning Earning and Parenting Program

A program that youth under $age\text{ } 18$ may be required to participate in to be eligible for Ontario Works financial assistance.

Housing First for Youth

A framework for moving youth out of homelessness as quickly as possible with no preconditions and providing supports to learn life skills and re-engage with education.

Harm Reduction

A strategy that involves youth in decision-making, views risky behavior on a continuum, and accepts that positive behavioral change is incremental.

Frail Elderly

Individuals of advanced age with significant physical or mental health problems that interfere with independence and require dependence on others for daily function.

Elder Abuse

The pressuring, bullying, misleading, or neglecting of older people, which can include physical, emotional, and financial abuse or sexual assault.

Dementia

A clinical syndrome characterized by a general and irreversible loss of mental capabilities, including memory, reasoning, judgment, and communication abilities.

Alzheimer’s disease

A chronic neurodegenerative disease that destroys brain cells and is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for $60-80\text{\%}$ of all diagnoses.

Amyloid Plaques

Dense clusters of amyloid-beta protein that build up between brain cells and block pathways in the brain, preventing cells from communicating.

Vascular Dementia

A form of dementia resulting from repeated losses of brain cells due to blood vessel damage from strokes, hypertension, or other oxygen-interfering problems.

Ageism

A form of stigma and discrimination related to a person's age that directly and indirectly affects the mental health and support access of seniors.

Happy Distractions

Pleasant stimuli, such as looking at photos of family or pets, used to de-escalate agitated older adults without direct conflict resolution.