Is It Dementia, or Is It Depression?

Often, an Elder suffers with the symptoms of depression needlessly, because the signs of depression in an Elder can be very different than in a younger adult. Statistically, clinical depression affects about 6 million Elders, but only 10% get treatment. Depression late in life is more common than we like to think about, and makes for very Un-"pleasant days".

The main reason it is hard to recognize is because Elder Depression is often accompanied by other common problems of "old age":

• chronic illness
• medications treating those diseases
  
• loss of physical ability
• loss of mental capabilities, and along with this the ability to cope with change and stress
  
• loss of social support systems through death of relatives
• relocations

Not only is depression unpleasant, but it also can increase the risk of heart attacks, increase the risk of death from illnesses, increase the risk of suicide, and slow the convalescence from illness or injury.

In short, this is something that your Elder and you should not have to deal with. So, pay attention, look for these symptoms:

• increased confusion or memory problems (the most common sign, in my experience)
  
• less energy, sleeping more (or insomnia)
• restlessness, irritability
• loss of appetite (more common in Elders than eating more)
• loss of interest in things that used to hold the Elders attention, or things that were enjoyable.
• increased pain, or more physical complaints
  
• sad facial expression most of the time
• verbalizing negative, pessimistic, hopeless type things more often
  
• unable to be "cheered up"

If your Elder exhibits even 1 or 2 of these, have her/his physician evaluate for depression.

For an article on Depression in the Elderly on WebMD click (here).

This will explain risk factors and treatment options. And there are links to other articles on WebMD that explain how different treatments work.

There are many ways to treat depression for your Elder, and it is worth the effort to diagnose and treat this problem.

I would recommend that you work closely with the Elder's physician rather that trying home remedies, herbal remedies and such. Your Elder is likely taking other prescription medications that may interact badly with homeopathic remedies. And the risk factors for a depressed Elder are too great to try to deal with this problem without medical guidance.

Wishing you and your Elder Pleasant Days!