Six Situations that Can Lead to Depression in the Elderly

By Marina Pink | April 5, 2019 |

Very often depression is a result of situations that weigh on your elderly family member. Understanding which situations are more likely to lead to depression can help you to help your senior in the ways that she needs help.

Home Health Care in San Marino CA: Senior Depression

Chronic Illnesses and Pain

Being ill or in pain, especially when that situation has no end in sight, is very likely to lead to depression for anyone, but especially for older adults. Work with your senior’s doctor to determine the solutions that are most likely to help her. Having a treatment plan can at least help to manage these situations for her.

Trouble with Cognition

It’s upsetting for anyone to realize the fact that how their brain functions is changing. If your senior is struggling with memory and with problem-solving, that can lead to depression. Tips and tricks to work with her brain as it functions now can help her to get over what she might have lost over time.

Moving

There are lots of lists out there that talk about the most stressful activities that people can engage in during their life. Moving tends to make even the shortest lists, because it really is stressful, even if your senior knows she needs and wants to move. Your senior may be moving into your home or into another home, but it’s still worth taking the time to help her work through her feelings about the move.

Isolation

Life changes can often mean that people you’re senior interacted with are no longer as available as they once were. Or your elderly family member may not be as able to get out and about as she once did. This can lead to isolation, which in turn can lead to depression. This is somewhere that senior care providers can help quite a bit. They can stop in and offer companionship while also helping out with a variety of tasks.

Grief

A loss is something that everyone has to deal with over the span of a life. Your senior may have lost too many people that she loves, including pets. But there are other types of losses, too. Losing mobility due to chronic pain is a huge loss and it can cause your senior to grieve what she can no longer do.

Losing Independence

One big loss that can lead to depression is the loss of independence. Even though your senior may be grateful for the assistance, that doesn’t mean that she enjoys feeling dependent on anyone, even you. It might be a struggle sometimes for her to accept help, even when she needs it very much.

Depression is something that you and your elderly family member can manage, but first, you need to recognize it and then do something about it. Talk to your senior’s doctor and determine what might help your elderly family member in her particular situation. There might be more tools and solutions available than either of you think that there are.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Health Care in San Marino, CA, please contact the caring staff at Home Care Help. Serving All of Los Angeles County. Call Us Today (888) 989-7388

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Marina Pink

Owner at Home Care Help

Marina Pink is the Owner at Home Care Help. Home Care Help is an innovator in providing services in a caring and professional manner. We have an exceptional history, spanning twenty-three years, of providing care to people in moments that matter most. It is our utmost priority to address every need in a timely manner; and, it is our goal, above all else, to give the level of support that enables our residents to have as much independence as possible with care and respect.