Preventing Depression In Seniors: Know The Signs & Take Action

Category: Health | Published on: 07/16/24

preventing depression in seniors know the signs take action

Aging and depression shouldn’t go hand-in-hand, but they often do. There are many reasons for this, ranging from understandable grief in the wake of partner and peer deaths to the social isolation from a mostly housebound lifestyle.

While doing things to reduce the risk of depression in seniors should be a primary component of any senior care plan, noticing the signs of depression is equally important. The sooner action is taken, the faster your loved one can experience more satisfaction, joy, and connection in their daily life.

Depression In Seniors: Statistics & Causes

Here are some of the most recent statistics from the CDC about depression in the senior population (55+).

20% of adults 55+ experience some type of mental health issue, including anxiety and depression.
Senior depression also affects physical well-being, often speeding up progressive side effects of medical conditions and Alzheimer’s/dementia.
Men are more prone to severe depression and the highest rates of suicide.
Aging adults most likely to report experiencing depression are those who report not having adequate social and emotional support in their daily lives.

Most important to note, as we mentioned in the intro:

“...depression is not a normal part of growing older. Rather, in 80% of cases, it is a treatable condition. Unfortunately, depressive disorders are a widely under-recognized condition and often are untreated or undertreated among older adults.”

Some depression red flags

Some of the signs that a senior feels depressed are:

They do not eat as much as they used to or overeat.
Excessive use of alcohol, recreational drugs, or prescription medications.
Sleeping all the time (unrelated to health issues or the natural dying process).
Avoiding social interaction or not participating in their favorite events or activities anymore.
Unusual moodiness or irritability.
Crying more often.
Admitting they feel sad, lonely, anxious, or more scared than normal.

We all have ups and downs, but if you feel something is amiss, it probably is. Investigate further and see what might be done to support them. In some cases, it means putting more support in place. In others, it may mean a conversation with their healthcare provider or scheduling a few appointments with a local therapist specializing in senior mental health to get a professional assessment.

The Most Common Causes Of Depression

Some of the most common causes of depression in adults 55+ are:

Having a previous history of depression

Seniors who experienced bouts of depression throughout their lives are more prone to depression as they age. If you know your parent or loved one suffered from depression throughout their life, speak with them and their healthcare provider about proactively managing depression as they age.

This may mean continuing to tweak medication prescriptions to account for other lifestyle changes or new prescription medications (to avoid contraindications from bad drug combinations) and taking a more intentional approach to ensure they have daily touch-ins and a routine that keeps them active, productive and engaged.

Side effects of existing health conditions

Biochemical changes are certainly a factor for some individuals, especially if they have certain medical diagnoses. Some of the diseases that increase a person’s chances of becoming depressed are:

Dementia.
Arthritis (which can significantly limit a person’s physical activity or ability to get out of the house).
Cancer.
Parkinson’s.
Heart disease.
Stroke.

Not surprisingly, the more the disease or medical condition limits their ability to move, independently perform daily tasks, maintain social connections, or participate in favorite pastimes/hobbies, the more likely they are to be depressed.

Not having access to a healthy diet, exercise, and social engagement

The more we highlight the factors that increase depression risk in seniors, the more you’ll notice it’s a self-feeding cycle. For example, someone with any of the above medical issues may also find it harder to perform daily tasks inherent in living a healthy lifestyle.

The older people get, the more their energy may wane, especially if they live alone and have nobody to share the daily tasks and workloads with.

Seniors need daily access to:

Healthy and delicious meals and snacks.
The ability to run errands and have what they need on hand.
Hydration (dehydration plays a major role in senior fatigue, depression, and even dementia-like symptoms)
Regular exercise (even if they’re chairbound)
Social engagement in alignment with their pre-senior life (more on that below).
A clean, organized, and safe environment (we call this a “senior-friendly home”).
Daily hygiene (which gets harder if there are mobility issues or for those with dementia).
A day that’s full enough to make them tired so they can enjoy a good night’s sleep.
And so on.

If a senior chooses to age in place independently, it’s important to find ways to meet these and other needs via family and friend caregivers as well as professional companionship or in-home caregiving agencies.

Loss of driving privileges can cause depression in seniors

It makes sense that everyone should relinquish the keys and driving privileges when age-related changes make driving more dangerous. Things like uncorrectable vision loss, slowed reflexes, cognitive decline, or significant weakness that limits driving abilities signal it’s time to let someone else take the wheel.

However, for safety’s sake, someone else must take the wheel so loved ones have access to:

Companionship.
Social engagements.
Meetings and events held by their favorite clubs, organizations, or other membership-oriented activities.
Travel or fun, local outings.
Their favorite restaurants.
Any routines that took them out of the house or “out about town” when they used to drive.

A housebound senior deserves access via public transportation, local senior transportation services, or driving services offered by licensed homecare agencies so they don’t feel trapped at home. If seniors can’t get where they want to go, they’re more apt to become housebound, and that leads to depression and further retreat from the things they love.

Feeling worthless, unnecessary, or a burden

Sadly, with the loss of mobility, their spouse/partner, peers, or as the family grows up and moves on, many seniors wind up feeling as if they’re lives are a burden to those around them. They can feel unwanted or that their existence has no purpose. Those feelings exponentially raise the risk of depression and an inward retreat.

There are so many ways to help seniors feel wanted, needed, and loved:

Connect them with local volunteer opportunities to give their days more purpose.
Get the extended family on board and calendar once-a-month video chats or phone calls so they feel more connected.
Make a point to include them actively at holiday events so they don’t feel sidelined or ignored.
Ask them for their opinions or for life advice; their wisdom and life experience are a significant resource and should be valued as such.
Create family trees and photo albums together, involving them in the family memory preservation process.
Share meals (research shows that seniors who eat with others tend to eat more than they do on their own, which helps them remain energized and healthy).
Ask for their help when you’re doing projects they could help out with, OR if you live long-distance, ask them to “keep you company” via video or speaker chat when you’re doing household tasks like folding laundry or organizing a closet.

There are many ways to help seniors feel like they still have a place in the world, which can make all the difference.

HomeAide Home Care Prevents Depression & Isolation For Bay Area Seniors

The caring team at HomeAide Home Care spends every day preventing social isolation and depression for our clients. From weekly and part-time companion, transportation, and errand-running services to overnight and live-in care, we meet clients where they’re at.

We work carefully to place our team of licensed caregivers with clients who share the same interests and hobbies, which adds another layer of caring support that allows seniors to live independently at home. We also find that hiring personal companions for loved ones in nursing homes or acute care facilities helps keep them more engaged and supported in their daily lives.