SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Depression is not a normal part of aging | Lifestyles

Depression is not a normal part of aging. Growing older certainly involves a variety of life stressors that can lead to depression. Some people have trouble making the transition from full-time productive careers to retirement. Others have been forced to retire because of chronic health problems or disability. For some, mounting medical bills threaten their financial stability. The loss of a loved one, or serious illness in a lifelong friend, or in your spouse, can add tremendous care giving responsibilities and also create much sadness. Lack of mobility, due to physical illness or loss of driving privileges, can result in social isolation and loneliness. All these factors can lead to depression.

Successful treatment of depression not only improves older adults’ emotional health, it helps them perform daily activities such as remembering to take medications, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. This was the first report to find that successful treatment of depression in older adults also improves their ability to perform tasks critical to independent living, such as keeping track of medications or managing money. Prior clinical tests of successful treatment of depression in this age group showed improvement in emotional functioning, but had not demonstrated that improved emotional health also translates into improved physical health. Older adults with depression report persistent greater functional impairment than those without depression.

Depression affects about one in 10 older adults and is the leading cause of years of life lost, due to its influence on health and other disabilities. Depression tends to last longer in elderly adults and increases the risk of death. A recent article indicates that approaches to decrease the prevalence of depression among older adults through broader assessment of other relevant life factors appear promising.

There is some evidence that effective treatment of depression among older adults reduces both symptoms and the risk of recurrence of depression. Making sure that an elderly person you are concerned about is evaluated and treated is important, even if the depression is mild. Because they’re expected to slow down, doctors and family may miss the diagnosis of depression in elderly people, delaying effective treatment. As a result, many seniors find themselves having to cope with symptoms that could otherwise be easily treated.

Depression in later life frequently coexists with other medical illnesses and disabilities. Factors that increase the risk of depression in the elderly include: being female, unmarried (especially if widowed), stressful life events, and lack of a supportive social network. Having physical conditions such as stroke, cancer and dementia further increases that risk. While depression may be an effect of certain health problems, it can also increase a person’s risk of developing other illnesses — primarily those affecting the immune system, such as infections.

Depression tends to last longer in elderly adults and increases the risk of death. Studies of nursing home patients with physical illnesses have shown that the presence of depression substantially increased the likelihood of death from those illnesses. Depression also has been associated with increased risk of death following a heart attack.

Depression is a treatable disorder. Even the most seriously depressed people can be treated successfully and return to a happy and more fulfilling life. Making sure that an elderly person you are concerned about is evaluated and treated is an easy way to avoid escalation of symptoms of depression and related health conditions.

Maureen A. Wendt is president and CEO of The Dale Association, a non-profit organization that provides senior, mental health, in-home care, caregiver support services and enrichment activities for adults. For more information, call 716-433-1886 or visit www.daleassociation.com.