A SENIORS MENTAL HEALTH
A common struggle among elderly people, whether in seniors homes, other senior living arrangements or even in their own homes, is depression. It’s an important thing to pay attention to and needs to be dealt with carefully. Depression is best handled as a multi-phase approach.
Prevention. Regular contact and visits can help you watch for signs of the onset of depression. Increased social interactions and positive relationships can also be protective factors to reduce the likelihood of mental health concerns like depression. This contact can alleviate sadness around life changes in an aging population. Other factors that can help are adequate nutrition, time outdoors, sufficient rest and regular maintenance of their surroundings by way of housekeeping to keep things clean and safe.
Treatment. If you notice that your loved one seems to be suffering from depression, treatment is important. Encourage your family member to see help from a medical professional, along with ongoing counseling from a mental health practitioner or clergy member if applicable. Depending on the source of the depression, there may be non-pharmaceutical approaches that can be taken, like UV lighting to stave off seasonal affective issues that can manifest into larger concerns.
Ongoing monitoring. Once an issue has been identified, it’s important to keep an eye on it. Educate yourself on the signs that an issue might be worsening. If you aren’t close enough to do so yourself, identify someone to check in on your loved one and see how they are doing. Schedule regular follow up appointments with your family member’s care team to ensure that recovery is maintained.
A Practical Step to Depression Prevention: Making New Friends
Making new friends is one of the toughest things to do as an adult. It is, however, an important piece in the puzzle of senior mental health and prevention of depression.
As a child, it’s easy – you just walk up to someone and start playing with them. But as an adult, we seem to get less and less comfortable talking to people we don’t know. And if you’re a little bit introverted, it’s even harder.
Here are a few practical tips for making new friends in a retirement community:
1. Making first contact
No, we’re not talking about aliens here, we’re talking about being that first person to go up to someone else at the retirement home and start the ball rolling. Get over your initial fear and start talking to someone you’ve never met before. You’d be surprised how much you will have in common.
2. Put in the time and effort
Independent living at Cedarwood affords you the time you need to stop worrying about the little chores around the house and, instead, cultivate your friendships. Send some emails, Skype or Facetime, or just look for someone to take a walk with. Make these new friends a priority.
3. Sign up for activities
Cedarwood has tons of activities all over Airdrie and Calgary, whether it is taking a bus trip, heading to a hockey or football game, or going to church. Sign up for the ones that you’re most interested in and see who’s coming with you.
4. Get out of your room
It’s easy to sit in your room, watch TV or read, and stay sheltered from everyone else. But you’re never going to make any new friends doing that. Get into the common rooms or eat with everyone else in dining room.
Conclusion
Sometimes it’s hard to work up the courage to talk to new people, so ask one of the friendly staff here at Cedarwood to introduce you to someone new. We love to see people chatting and getting along – it makes everyone’s life better.
Through prevention, treatment and ongoing monitoring, mental health concerns like depression in seniors can be addressed, whether they reside in a seniors home, some form of senior living community such as Cedarwood Station, or in their own residence. While depression can be quite common, it is treatable and there is abundant life after recovery.
Through prevention, treatment and ongoing monitoring, mental health concerns like depression in seniors can be addressed, whether they reside in a seniors home, some form of senior living community such as Cedarwood Station, or in their own residence. While depression can be quite common, it is treatable and there is abundant life after recovery.