Mary, a 78-year old retired teacher, lives by herself. Recently widowed, she was finding it increasingly difficult to maintain her independence. Her two adult children were busy with work and their young families. Mary began to wonder at times why she was still around.
Mary began to have worsening health problems and didn’t want to burden her children for help. She struggled to get to medical appointments and the grocery store. As time went on these once simple trips were just too difficult; Mary often felt too tired and in too much pain to leave her house. Fear of becoming increasingly disabled weighed on her.
Eventually, Mary stopped seeing her friends—tired of complaining to them—and became more isolated. “I didn’t think I was depressed,” she said, “just tired and not interested in doing as much as I used to.”
Getting help for Mary
Mary’s daughter contacted Seniors At Home to find answers and see if she might relieve some of her mother’s suffering. Within a few days, a geriatric psychologist visited Mary, who admitted she felt like she was “stuck in a tunnel without any light” and agreed to receive assistance.
The Seniors At Home team coordinated a set of services for Mary, including counseling sessions to help her learn ways to manage her negative feelings and helping her coordinate with her physician on a new medication. The Seniors At Home team also got Mary practical day-to-day help, including rides to the doctor, grocery delivery, and a volunteer visitor to help reduce social isolation.
Though the road to recovery is still long, Mary is feeling more like her old self, more hopeful, and not so alone.
Depression in older adults
Mary is not alone. A 2012 John A. Hartford Foundation poll of 1,318 Americans 65 and older found that “depression is a common and serious medical condition second only to heart disease in causing disability as well as harm to health and quality of life. Depression is not a natural part of the aging process, but almost one in three people surveyed (27%) believed it was. And many older people don’t realize that persistent tiredness can be a very common symptom of depression. The survey also asked how it felt to be depressed or anxious. Respondents said, “No one can really help or understand me,” “It is like a weight in my chest,” and “It is like being in a dark hole that you can’t get out of.”
Treating depression and other mental health conditions can be very effective, but it is not always simple. The initial drug or treatment, or a single treatment, often doesn’t work. Because treatments vary and each individual is unique, recovering from depression takes time and consistency.
What to do if you’re struggling
Early diagnosis and treatment of depression not only improves quality of life, but they can also potentially prevent or delay cognitive decline and dementia. If you think you may be depressed, or have a loved one that may be, get help immediately.
Seniors At Home provides a full range of services designed to help older adults live safely, healthily, and more independently. To learn more about support available from Seniors At Home, call 415-449-3700 or contact us online.