[Anxiety and self-assurance in elderly patients]

The concept of social competence covers emotional, cognitive and behavioral abilities in the field of interpersonal communication and behavior patterns to cope with practical problems of life. Under the specific conditions of age, aging, and diseases in one part of the elderly, a loss of psycho-social competence may reduce the ability and quality of independent living. To improve social competence in old patients, an age-adapted assertiveness-training, based on the Assertiveness Training Program was proved in a group of psychogeriatric inpatients in a controlled study. In the self-rated activities of daily living and state-anxiety as well as in observer-rated self-confidence and assertiveness, the training group showed significant improvement compared to the controls.