Psychological Considerations for Bariatric Surgery among Older Adults

Older adults are increasing in weight along with the rest of the United States population. Likewise, their rates of bariatric surgery have been on the rise with changes in insurance coverage, evidence of the safety of surgery, and importance of quality of life during older age. Unfortunately, limited research has addressed the unique experiences of older adults and there are no specific guidelines that provide an effective strategy for presurgical psychological evaluation of this group. Therefore, this review aims to address considerations for psychological evaluation of older adults by adapting the current guidelines available, within the framework of a “patient-centered” approach that emphasizes individual needs. Considerations reviewed include psychosocial (e.g., developmental stage, quality of life, level of stress, and coping ability) and cognitive concerns (e.g., capacity to give informed consent, realistic expectations, and adherence to permanent lifestyle change).