Watch Out For Senior Depression During the Holidays

The holiday season can be a lonely time for those away from home or far from family. Seniors are especially susceptible to depression during this time of year that many celebrate with cheer. Statistics from the National Institutes of Health remind us that of the 35 million Americans beyond the age of 65, approximately 18% suffer from full-blown depression, with another 7% experiencing less severe depression.

At Interim, our home care professionals are always on the lookout for signs and symptoms of depression, but during this time of year, everyone should be watchful of friends and neighbors and give them support to help endure the holidays when they seem blue or withdrawn. Symptoms of depression may include lack of energy, sadness, lack of interest in friends or activities and a loss of appetite. In seniors, depression can often trigger arthritis pain or headaches.

Health problems can also contribute to depression, leaving people feeling inadequate and left behind. They may be unable to go shopping for gifts due to mobility or financial constraints. Writing cards and letters can be cumbersome for those with motor coordination or memory problems.

All of these things can spur holiday sadness and depression. Statistics show that the suicide rate, especially in elderly men, rises during the holiday season. Hopelessness can set in, particularly for people in home hospice care, so they may all need a little extra boost of cheer during this time.

There are a few things you and your fellow senior companions can do to help minimize the effects and help prevent the illness.

•    Offer to take someone shopping that cannot drive or does not get out much. A special trip to the mall or local shopping center can help seniors get into the spirit and take their minds off missing their loved ones. If a budget is in place, aim for discount stores.

•    A luncheon may help lift their spirits. Social entertainment is a good way to focus on mental health as well as physical well-being. Since poor diet habits can intensify depression, encourage healthy foods during a time when sweet treats and temptation abound.

•    Decorations can help brighten any room. Whether it’s putting up green or blue garlands on walls or suspending crepe paper from the ceiling, a festive atmosphere can help shake the winter doldrums.

•    If you are not crafty, enlist the help of children or teenagers to create some paper or felt snowflakes to hang on the windows, especially if your friend loves the snow.

•    Offer to help with writing and sending out Hanukah, Kwanza, Christmas or New Year’s cards. Suggest doing them together. If hand coordination or writing is an issue, perhaps the senior can be in charge of adding return address labels, stamps or stickers to the envelopes. Dictating addresses or notes that you write inside the card might be another way to get someone involved.

Bringing forth holiday cheer does not have to be expensive or time consuming. Keep it simple, don’t make promises you can’t keep and, above all, have some fun.