Senior Mental Health should be a focal point when caring for seniors, but often, this is something your loved one won’t want to focus on, or they don’t know how. They may not even know they’re suffering from any mental health issues. If you feel like your senior loved one is struggling to age in place and want to respect their wishes by allowing them to live at home, you can suggest hiring 24-hour home care to help them out, which may help a senior also focus on mental health problems. But what are common mental health issues, and what are mental health problems? Here are some things you should know about senior mental health.
What Is Mental Health?
Mental health refers to a senior’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being, encompassing their ability to handle stress, maintain fulfilling relationships, work productively, and make choices that contribute to a satisfying life. It is an integral component of overall health and vital to one’s capacity to lead a fulfilling and productive life. The health community has greatly focused on mental health over the past few years because it is crucial to everyone, regardless of age. Your kids, teenagers, young adults, and seniors should all focus on this. Here are a few common mental health challenges a senior may struggle with.
Depression
Your senior may suffer from depression or anxiety and sometimes a mix of both. It’s normal for your loved one to feel down or go through moments of sadness, but if these feelings of unhappiness and despair go on for weeks at a time, it will be a cause for concern. Your loved one will need to talk to a doctor who may prescribe medication to stabilize their moods. 24-hour home care can provide companionship and light chores, which may indirectly help a senior’s depression. Sometimes, having an extra set of hands in the house can boost a senior’s mood, so it’s important to find the right help when they choose to age in place.
Dementia is an umbrella term that describes a group of cognitive disorders that cause a decline in a person’s memory, thinking, and overall cognitive function. It impairs an individual’s ability to perform daily activities and can be caused by various underlying conditions, with Alzheimer’s disease being the most common form of dementia. This impacts mostly seniors, and as the disease progresses, they may need more help and care. 24-hour home care can be the best choice when your loved one is diagnosed with dementia.
Thoughts of Suicide
When a senior becomes depressed, one of the other mental health challenges is the thoughts of suicide. Now, this can be harder to identify because even though they are thinking it, they may not vocalize it, which can be scary. The most important thing you can do is ensure that your loved one has someone to talk to who they trust. This is the best way to ensure your senior loved one has some outlet or someone they can talk to who can report to someone else if they think they are at risk for harming themselves.
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