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Depression is much more than just feeling sad. It is a common but very serious mood disorder that often needs medical treatment. It can cause severe symptoms that affect how you think, feel, and handle daily routine activities, such as sleeping, walking, thinking, eating, and working. When you are depressed, you may have trouble with daily life for weeks at a time. In medical language this condition is called “depressive disorder” or “clinical depression.”

Depression is a common problem among elderly, but it is NOT a common part of aging. However, important life changes that happen as we get older may cause feelings of stress, uneasiness, unsatisfied, and sadness.

Causes Of Depression:

Older adults may have medical conditions, such as strokes, heart disease, or cancer, which may cause depressive symptoms. It may be from taking some medications with side effects that contribute to depression. People with a family history of depression may be more likely to develop depression than those people whose families do not have the illness. Elderly people who had depression when they were younger are more at risk for developing depression in old age than those who did not have the illness earlier in life. All these factors can cause depression and often go untreated in the elderly. Yet, treating the depression will help an elderly person manage other conditions he or she may have.

Home Care And Treatment:

There are several treatment options available for depression. They can include psychotherapy, medicine or counseling, or electroconvulsive therapy or other newer forms of brain stimulation.  There are new treatments being developed and introduced.

Sometimes, a blend of medications might be utilized. The choice a specialist may prescribe relies upon the sort and seriousness of side effects, past medicines, and other ailments an individual may have, among different components.

Psychotherapy is the most commonly used treatment for depression at home. Psychotherapy, also called “talk therapy,” can help people with treatment. Some treatments are short-term treatments, lasting 10 to 20 weeks; others are longer treatments, depending on the person’s needs.

What Can We Do?

What can we do to bring down the dangers of depression? In what capacity can individuals adapt? There are a few approaches you can take.

  • Attempt to get ready for major changes throughout everyday life, for example, preparing for retirement or downsizing and moving from your home of numerous years.
  • Talking about your wishes for living in your golden years.
  • Keep in contact with family, and tell them when you feel sad.
  • Regular exercise may also help you prevent depression or lift your mood if you are feeling depressed.
  • Do something you love to do.
  • Being physically fit and eating a balanced diet can surely help avoid illnesses that can bring on disability or depression.

Elderly people and their families sometimes may misidentify depression symptoms as “normal” or “common” reactions to life losses, stresses, or the aging process. Additionally, depression may be expressed through physical complaints instead of customary side effects. This makes appropriate treatment difficult. In addition, depressed older people may not report their depression because they believe there is no expectation for help.

Providing regular support for our elderly loved ones at home can be very therapeutic to them.  Keeping them home as long as possible has shown significant decreases in the intensity of depression from  loneliness or isolation.  Whether your loved one needs companionship or help with their activities of daily living, Guardian Angels of Home Health, Inc. can find the right match for your needs.  Call us for a free no obligation assessment today at (215)295-6200.

#Depression #ElderlyDepression #FamilyCaregiver #HomeCare

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