Helping senior family members suffering with depression

More than ten percent of the 19 million Americans with depression are senior citizens - roughly two out of every 10 people over 65. Depression is not only a serious medical problem on its own, but it can complicate existing medical conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and cancer, and increases the risk for heart disease and stroke.

Unfortunately, though depression is medically treatable, older people don’t always seek the help they need, either because they don’t recognise the symptoms or are too embarrassed to talk about it.

That’s why family is so important: they need to look for signs of depression and seek medical help.

Failure to treat depression can lead to a highly increased risk of suicide, as well as higher risk of physical conditions such as stroke, cancer and heart disease.

Encouragingly, there are dozens of simple ways to help those suffering from depression, in addition to the obvious advice of having them seek help from knowledgeable medical professionals.

Other simple things like encouraging an older person to volunteer or establishing regular visits by caring friends can play a key role in alleviating the feeling of isolation that often contributes to depression.

Read the full article: Friends, family can help seniors suffering from depression