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What Might Be Creating Depression for Your Aging Adult?

You might not realize it, but your senior could be dealing with depression. If you’re not sure why that could be the case, these are just a few of the situations that can contribute to elderly depression.

Experiencing Grief and Loss

Grief and loss are a part of life, but that doesn’t mean they’re an enjoyable part of life. Your elderly family member may have had more than her fair share of both grief and loss, which can be affecting her now. Beyond just losing people she loves, your aging family member may also mourn the loss of other things, like her health or the ability to do certain things that she used to do easily.

Having Chronic Health Issues

Health conditions, particularly chronic health issues that only continue to get worse, are a huge source of depression for aging adults. Chronic health conditions are often tough to manage on a daily basis and they can rob your elderly family member of a great many pieces of her life that she then mourns. Depression can also be a side effect of some medications your elderly family member might take.

Being Alone Too Much

Your senior might not have as much companionship from others as she did in the past. Her friends and family may have moved on in many different ways, which can leave her alone a lot more than she ever used to be. That can lead to unintentional isolation, which is not a comfortable feeling for most people. Left to continue, all of that can also lead directly to depression.

Experiencing Stress and Worry

Your senior may not be able to control much of what is going on in her life right now. There might be plenty of things for her to stress and worry over, even if you’re sure that she doesn’t have any reason to be concerned. But just because your senior shouldn’t have to worry, that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t. And dealing with too much worry and stress can cause her to hyper focus on those situations and become depressed.

It’s important to talk to your senior’s doctor if you suspect that she’s dealing with depression. You can work together to put a plan in place that helps your elderly family member to recover. Another solution to consider is hiring elder care providers. They can offer companionship and make much of your senior’s daily life easier.

When you are in need of care for a senior loved one, consider elder care provided by Golden Heart Senior Care. We have offices nationwide. For more information, call us today at (800) 601-2792.

The post What Might Be Creating Depression for Your Aging Adult? appeared first on Golden Heart Senior Care.



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