The adult as a patient

Factors influencing an individual's understanding of their illness include: Age, degree of physical deterioration, lifestyle, cognitive constriction, support network, and role within the life cycle.

An infantilized ill adult may attempt to resist overprotection, and if unsuccessful, may exhibit aggressive behavior. Their “healthy” partner may feel overwhelmed by the responsibility. It is more common for a woman to assume the caregiving role for her ill husband. However, when the wife is the one who is ill, her primary caregiver is more likely to be a child or her own mother, while the husband continues in the role of provider.

At COINCIDIR, we support ill adults in addressing isolation and apathy by improving communication with both family and care teams.

• Identification, expression, and regulation of emotions

• Aacceptance of the social network (companionship, care from children).

• Coping with professional setbacks, blocked personal projects, feelings of usefulness, dependency and autonomy

• Decline in romantic and sexual life

• An infantilized ill adult will try to struggle against overprotection