Blog Layout
Identifying And Treating Depression In The Elderly
Lisa Reisman • Aug 28, 2019
How can we help you today?
Identifying And Treating Depression In The Elderly
Have you noticed that your mother is more irritable than usual lately? Is your father not as enthusiastic as he used to be about his artwork? Are you worried that your grandmother's self-worth is diminishing? It could be related to depression.
When issues like these are present, they are often simply categorized as byproducts of dementia. But few realize that depression in the elderly is a serious and widespread problem that may need to be addressed separately from dementia care.
It’s normal for everyone to have periods of sadness or days when they just feel down. However, serious depression in the elderly does not pass easily. To prevent the problem from worsening, learn what the symptoms of depression look like.
Symptoms Of Depression In The Elderly
It is a misconception that sadness is the main symptom of depression. The type of depression your loved one may have is relative to the symptoms she may be experiencing. For instance, major depression is characterized by symptoms such as lack of appetite and inability to enjoy life.
While each person will experience the various symptoms somewhat uniquely, elderly people often exhibit some specific depression-related symptoms as they grow older. Those symptoms may include:
A feeling of emptiness
Inability to remember details
Constant sadness
Lack of appetite and weight loss
Feeling that they have become a burden
Loss of self-worth
Feelings of guilt surrounding a child's role in caretaking
Anxiousness about medical issues
Lack of desire to participate in beloved activities
Constant exhaustion
Causes Of Elderly Depression
Depression in elderly individuals is often related to stress. Aside from the typical issues of daily life, the aging process itself comes with major stressors. Seniors may become more concerned about finances, medical care, and whether or not they have become a burden to their children. These thoughts can cause anxiety and extreme stress.
Older adults experience symptoms associated with aging of the body and the mind. In some cases, the blood flow to the brain is restricted. This typically happens as blood vessels stiffen up over time. The result is vascular depression, which can also lead to heart disease and stroke.
It is not uncommon for depression to co-exist alongside other medical conditions such as Parkinson's disease, diabetes, and cancer. Unfortunately, depression can also worsen the conditions of these illnesses, and in turn, the illnesses can worsen the conditions of depression.
Treatment For Depressed Seniors
Depression requires treatment, no matter how old your loved one is. Without proper treatment, depression has the potential to worsen and to lead to life-threatening situations. Your first step toward treatment should always be to see a doctor, who will rule out possible alternate causes like medication.
Once these causes are ruled out, a general practitioner may refer your loved one to a therapist, a social worker, or a psychiatrist who can provide additional help. Some of these professionals are specially trained to work with elderly patients.
After the depression has been medically diagnosed, your loved one can discuss a treatment plan with her care provider. This may include psychiatric medication to treat the depression or tools to cope with stress. Psychotherapy is another common means of treating depression. Sessions typically last for one hour and include discussion of the various issues causing depression. Not only do individuals learn to cope with depression in therapy, but some even see the depression disappear.
How To Help Your Loved One Through Depression
If you are helping an elderly loved one deal with depression, you are already offering your physical and emotional support. Depression can cause intense feelings of isolation, so your presence is extremely helpful. Researchers see a big difference in the benefits of face-to-face meetings as opposed to phone calls, emails, and text messages.
Chronic depression is not a normal part of aging that your loved one should have to face, although older adults tend to be at higher risk for depression, especially if they are already coping with a chronic disorder.
The Benefits Of Hiring A Caregiver
One of the greatest benefits of hiring a caregiver
is the companionship that she can offer your loved one. Often, adding a friendly new face to the mix or venturing out of the house with a companion are what your elderly loved one needs to battle her depression.
Supporting your loved one through depression or any other illness is difficult, and it's impossible to be there for him or her at every moment. A caregiver can help ease the path to recovery for both you and your loved one.
Learn about the common symptoms of COVID-19, reasons why older people have a wide variety of symptoms & how to spot early signs of COVID-19 in the elderly.
Learn about the symptoms of COVID-19 & how it spreads. Know the difference between asymptomatic & symptomatic.
Learn why the elderly have a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 & why the risks are higher when they have underlying health conditions.
Learn about the signs when your loved one faces comprehension difficulties. Know how a cognitive impairment disease can affect you & your loved ones.
You’ve heard the name many times by now— Coronavirus (or COVID-19) is a disease that’s become so deadly it’s spiraled us into a global pandemic. For those unfamiliar with how it got its name, in COVID-19, 'CO' stands for 'corona,' 'VI' for 'virus,' and 'D' for the disease. According to the CDC, “coronavirus” is actually an umbrella term for a family of viruses that can cause illness in animals or humans.
No matter what age, we all have moments of confusion. But when your elderly loved one is consistently exhibiting these signs, it might be because s/he is undergoing cognitive impairment. Having difficulty comprehending is a common sign these problems; however, it is often brushed aside as "old age." The person experiencing these difficulties may make excuses: the TV shows today are too complicated, their family members talk too fast, the lights are too dim to read. Ignoring the signs of comprehension difficulties, though, just make life harder for everyone involved. Comprehension and Confusion Comprehension is the opposite of confusion. Comprehension is a complex process in the brain through a system of nerves and chemicals, and it involves language, recognition, and function processes. Cognitive impairment disorders like dementia and Alzheimer's disrupt those complex processes. It can manifest as sudden memory loss, impaired motor coordination, and other more subtle thought processes that we will discuss. When someone has difficulty with comprehension, s/he has trouble putting together the various actions needed to perform a task. For example, your mom might need a cup from the cupboard. In order to do so, she must first decide she wants the cup. Then she might need to get out of her chair, walk across the kitchen, raise her hand, open the cupboard, and take the cup out of the cupboard. If she has difficulty with comprehension, she will have a hard time putting all of these elements to work to achieve her goal, which might result in several different outcomes: she could fall, break the cup, or just forget what she was doing before she reaches the cupboard. She knows what she wants to do but has trouble making all the connections necessary to get there. How Cognitive Impairment Affects Your Loved One Difficulty comprehending is frustrating for your elderly loved one and for you, but the first step toward helping your loved one is understanding what s/he is experiencing. Here are some examples of how someone with dementia or Alzheimer's disease might have trouble comprehending everyday situations. TV/books: Someone with dementia might not be able to follow a basic storyline and could not tell somebody else what is going on in the TV show or book. Social situations: Someone with dementia might see two children playing and interpret that they are fighting or vice versa. The person with dementia may step in and try to resolve the situation without realizing what is actually happening. Conversations: As with the TV/book example, someone with dementia can't follow an everyday conversation . S/he doesn't know who or what is being discussed and especially cannot tell when the subject matter has changed. Time: Someone with trouble comprehending will have difficulty telling time and might not know whether it is day or night. How Cognitive Impairment Affects You Because of these comprehension difficulties, the person experiencing dementia or Alzheimer's disease will rely on the people around him/her to tell him/her what is going on. For instance, your loved one may constantly ask you to repeat yourself. S/he may also have trouble following instructions. These situations can be aggravating for you, particularly if they are new, however it is important to understand that your loved one is not trying to bother you by failing to follow directions or asking you to repeat information over and over. These are symptoms of cognitive impairment , and neither you nor they can control it. If your family member begins to exhibit any of these signs, take him or her to your physician with a description of the comprehension difficulties you've noticed so that s/he has plenty of information for a cognitive function assessment. If the doctor diagnoses dementia or Alzheimer's, ask specific questions about treatment so that you can do your part to serve your loved one despite mild cognitive impairment. It is important to get help for your loved one, and there is no reason for you to care for your loved one alone. Caring for an aging relative requires time, patience, and expert care. Complete Care At Home can help you create a customized plan to meet the unique needs of your loved one with dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Contact us today for an expert assessment.
Learn about aggression, dementia & how you can cope with people experiencing those illnesses through home health care services by Complete Care At Home.
Alzheimer's and dementia are debilitating diseases. Learn more about the differences and signs of dementia and Alzheimer's disease from normal forgetfulness.
Learn about the Elderly Loved One Being RepetitiveComplete Care At Home has a team of experts to take care of elderly family members.
Learn about the signs your loved ones might need home care services & how complete care at home services can help your loved ones to live safely.