The presentation addresses the application of Durkheim’s theory of suicide to the contemporary elderly population. Using Durkheim’s theory of suicide helps us look for signs of suicide potential among elderly clients and residents. However, it does much more. Once a practitioner has identified high suicide potential, Durkheim’s theory guides the practitioner to a particular type of intervention. For Durkheim, all suicide potentials are not the same. Each type of suicide potential requires a unique intervention strategy. Thus, once a practitioner uses Durkheim’s theory to identify suicide potential, the suicide category may be determined. When one identifies the type of suicide, the practitioners can provide the best intervention to address the social problems that are propelling the elderly person toward suicide. Durkheim discovered that the social environment is the springboard for many suicides. In particular, he uncovered four environments that create suicide potential. These social environments include fatalistic, anomic, egoistic, and altruistic.Learning Objectives:
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