You are on page 1of 8

Angela Hurdsman

English 2010
Draft: The Information Effect Project:
All around the world, people are dealing with depression. Depression
is a disease that robs people of health, happiness and love of life.
Depression can be diagnosed at any age, but many of those who are
diagnosed belong to the elderly population. Many of these people are
struggling and there are also many who have it, but have not had
proper diagnoses. These people may have lost their will to live or their
purpose in life.

Photograph: Elderlyhealth.info
As Adults age and get older, many times these elderly need help.
For a while, families may try to give back, but sometimes this pathway
proves to be too difficult. There are many people that are admitted into
Nursing or Assisted Living facilities. The harsh reality is that they just
cant take care of themselves anymore. Sometimes a familys only
option is to be able to have others help out and take care of them.
When elderly are admitted into nursing homes or assisted living
facilities, many of them feel like their independence is taken from
them. They may become sad and lose their will to live. Making them
wonder why they are still alive.

Photograph: Perfecthealthinfo.com
A lot of residents go along with being admitted, just trying to
accept the fact that they are too much of a burden on their families,
or just dealing with the fact that they are too hard to difficult to take
care of. They may feel abandoned, alone and heartbroken. Many
spouses feel guilt and agony for having to come to this, but they know
it is the best place for their loved one.

Photograph: applewoodourhouse.com

Unfortunately,manyoftheseelderlyplacedinhomeswillbecomedepressed.Infact,
manyelderlyingeneralarediagnosedwiththisdisease.
Clinicaldepressioninelderlyiscommon.Thatdoesn'tmeanit'snormal.Latelife
depressionaffectsabout6millionAmericansages65andolder.Butonly10%receive
treatmentfortheirdepression.Thelikelyreasonisthattheelderlyoftendisplay
symptomsofdepressiondifferently.Depressionintheelderlyisalsofrequentlyconfused
withtheeffectsofmultipleillnessesandthemedicinesusedtotreatthem.(WebMD).
Symptoms of depression to watch for in the Elderly might consist of
fatigue, aching muscles, chest pain, headaches, changes in weight or
appetite, digestive problems and restlessness.
Itisnotalwaysobviousthatanolderpersonisdepressedandsimilarlyitisnot
uncommonfordepressiontobesuspectedwhenapersonisjustinalowmoodor
grievingforashortperiodoftime.Thereasonforthisconfusionattimesisthatthe
symptomsofdepressionintheelderlymaynotbecharacteristicaswouldbeexpectedof
ayoungerperson.(Seniorhealth365.com).
Fortunately,clinicaldepressionisaverytreatableillness.Morethan80%ofall
peoplewithdepressioncanbesuccessfullytreatedwithmedication,psychotherapyora
combinationofboth.(Mentalhealthamerica.net).

Photograph: Aplaceformom.com

People images.com via Getty images

Ifyouredepressed,youmaynotwanttodoanythingorseeanybody.Butisolation
anddisconnectiononlymakedepressionworse.Themoreengagedyouaresocially,
mentally,andphysicallythebetteryoullfeel.(helpguide.org).

Photograph:Seniorhealth365.com

Ifyouredepressed,youmaynotwanttodoanythingorseeanybody.Butisolation
anddisconnectiononlymakedepressionworse.Themoreengagedyouaresocially,
mentally,andphysicallythebetteryoullfeel.(helpguide.org).
Familyandlovedonescanhaveaprofoundeffectonanelderscare.Encourage
treatmentandoffersupporttohelpyourlovedoneliveafull,happylife.
(healthline.com).
Therearealsoafewotherthingswe,asasocietycandotohelpimprovethequalityof
lifefortheseelderly,thesewillalsohelpwiththesymptomsofdepression.Onethingwe
candoisvisitingtheelderly.Spendsometimewiththem.Taketimeoutofyourday
onceinawhiletomakesomeonesdaybetter!Playgameswiththem,laughwiththem.
Helpmakealifealittlebetter,somedayitmaybeyouwalkingintheirshoes.

Photograph: negeriatrics.com

Photograph: Archive.indianaexpress.com

Photograph: probonorcounseling.org
Works Cited:
Elderlyhealth.info, Depression-Nervous System Problems.
Seniorhealth365, Common Causes of Depression Among the Elderly.
Oct. 2016
Healthline.com, Oct. 2016
Helpguide.org,, Oct. 2016

Goals and Choices:


One of the things that I wanted to accomplish with this piece is to
help make people more aware of my Social Justice issue. Depression in
the elderly is not something that I think we should ignore, but many
times we dont even think about it. Working in an Assisted Living
Facility, I see elderly all the time who are admitted and not long after
start to show signs of depression. Family members or loved ones may
just think that this is a normal process that they are going through and
that there might not be much they can do for them, but I think that one
of the most important things that families can do for their loved ones is

to get the to a doctor for a diagnosis. Depression can be treated with


medication over time and can help a person to go from severe sadness
and anguish to feeling happy again. Depression, however can be
difficult to diagnose. It can be hard to differentiate whether or not this
person is suffering from depression, or if it is just a normal thing that
happens the first little while after being admitted.
I also wanted to let people know some of the things that they can do
do help these loved ones to live a more full and happy life.

You might also like