5 Ways You Can Help a Senior with Depression (By: Drew Coster) From my experience, I know getting help for an elderly relative is difficult, but if you are concerned about someone and think their current behavior and mood is compromising their life, here are 5 things that might help. 1) Even though you’re concerned for them, it’s best not to let your anxiety manifest by getting angry at them or demanding that they seek help. Trying to force a person into seeing a doctor or therapist can have the opposite effect. You’re better off taking things slowly. Try engaging in calm conversation. Find out what they might be worried about or what might have changed in their life recently. Gather information which you can then use to highlight and clarify why it might be a good idea for them to get help. 2) When trying to talk to them about how they are feeling, try to avoid using words that might make them defensive. Words such as ‘depression,’ ‘struggling’ or ‘can’t cope’ can strike fear into their hearts. Barriers will most likely be raised and they’ll refuse to talk about it. You’re better off using words such as ‘sad,’ ‘blue,’ and ‘rough time.’ These words take the edge off what might be a scary subject. 3) Elderly people often will not want to make a fuss, so feelings of guilt and shame can be prevalent. Try to reassure them that you are not judging them for how they feel, and that you care about them. Help them understand that it’s their choice to get help and that you will do what you can to support them. 4) Supporting a depressed relative doesn’t mean that you take over and do everything for them. As much as you might want to help, doing too much can reinforce their thinking that they are now ‘useless and a burden.’ It is important to try to find a balance between helping them and having them help themselves. Together it can be useful to break down tasks into smaller activities. By doing smaller tasks, they are less likely to get tired and avoid doing what they need to. Doing less each day can mean doing more over the week. 5) Seeing a psychiatrist can be scary for anyone, let alone an elderly person who tries to avoid doctors. See if you can get their permission to be a part of the appointment process. This can be useful because often the scariness of the situation, and their limited cognitive functioning due to depression, can mean an elderly relative doesn’t say what has been going on for them. They could lack the ability to retain the information the psychiatrist is telling them.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 00:46:10 +0000