Elder Care: Depression in Senior Citizens – What Symptoms Should You Look For?
Elder Care: Does it seem like depression is hitting your elderly loved one?
Unfortunately, there are millions of people, especially in the elderly population, who are experiencing depression these days. However, that doesn’t mean that your elderly loved one has to be stuck feeling depressed for the rest of their life. If you can recognize the signs of depression in your elderly loved one, then you and your elder care provider can start helping them to overcome this issue.
Elder Care in Northbrook IL: Senior Depression
Losing Energy
Have you or an elder care provider noticed your elderly loved one losing energy? Maybe, they are awake for a bit of time in the morning but very quickly feel fatigued. Maybe, your elderly loved one starts helping with a task only to find themselves sitting down in a short amount of time due to their lack of energy. If this is happening, you or a home care provider should talk to your elderly loved one about their energy loss. It could be that they are struggling with depression. If you find that to be the case, then you can talk with your elderly loved one to determine how to get them treatment.
Losing Interest
Many people who have depression will lose interest in things they usually enjoy. For example, if your elderly loved one is depressed, they may not enjoy having coffee with their neighbor anymore. They may not enjoy going to play bingo every week like they have been doing for a while. If this is the case, your elderly loved one may have depression. It might be good to switch things up for them. For instance, instead of having them drink a cup of coffee with a neighbor in the morning, maybe they could have dinner with their neighbor once a week. If needed, you could have an elder care provider help your loved one to prepare the dinner.
Losing Memory
A lot of people don’t make this connection, but did you know that depression can cause memory loss? When someone isn’t able to focus on happiness or various aspects of their day for that matter, due to depression, it can cause them to forget things. Depression is very overwhelming. However, there are ways to treat depression. If you find that your elderly loved one has memory loss, discuss it with them. Find out how they are feeling. If it seems they need to work through some mental or emotional issues, support them in any way that you can.
Elder Care: Conclusion
These are some symptoms of depression that you and elder care providers should look for in your elderly loved one. If these things are noticed, make sure to talk to your elderly loved one and find out how you can help them.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Elder Care in Northbrook, IL, call the caring staff at LifeCare Home Health & In-Home Services. Call (888) 606-4199 LifeCare serves all of the Chicago Metro Area.
Sources
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/depression-and-older-adults
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