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Essay on depression in the elderly
Depression in older adults term paper
Depression in the elderly case study essay
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Depression is two to three times more common then dementia of depressed elders at home, about one-third have moderately severe disease. Depression is not age-related and there is no reason to believe it to be part of normal aging. It is more common amoung physically ill sunjects in hospitals and at home. Although higher rates of depression are found in people with dementia and other neurological disorders, particularly stroke and parkinson's disease. Without treatment, depression in old age becomes a chronic disorder that produces high levels of morbidity and mortality. Age is a risk factor for completed suicide. Depression is the most important psychiatric condition associated with successful and attempted suicide in old age. Depression in late life is a largely undetected and untreated condition. In community studies, similar proportions of depressed patients are on antidepressants. Depressed older people will consult their general practicioner two to three times more often then non-depressed elders, presenting opportunities to identify and treat depression. In genral hospital wards, the detection of depression is also poor and few patients will be referred for a psychiatric opinion. In high risk populations, the use of validated screening intruments like the The Geriatric Depression Scale can improve levels of detection.The poor medical response to depressed older people arises from several factors. Therapeutic nihilism based on misinformed preconceptions of age and psychiatric treatment may be common. Too often depression is considered a natural reaction to the vicissitudesof later life ands is explained away as an inevitable and normal response. A study of antidepressants perscibing in primary care found that older patients...
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...ic illness. Spouses, family members, and friends may die. Retirement brings loss of income and loss of the workers role. The older adult gradually loses the necessary resources to remain independent. Independence is a major cultural measure of personal worth and its loss undermines self-esteem. Without understanding, support, and care from loved ones, chronic depression can result even for those who have led successful full lives. Alzheimer's disease is an increasing cause of mental confusion in older adults. In earlier stages of the disease, patients can be aware of their diagnosis; depression and anxiety are likely to follow. Support from social workers, along with medication can help ease the resultant emotional pain. (Suppes & Wells, 2013)
Works Cited
(Suppes & Wells, 2013)(Anderson, 2001)(Lacruz, Emeny, Haefner, Zimmermann, Linkohr, Rolf & Ladwing, 2011)
Informal supports, such as aid for housekeeping and running errands, are crucial to maintaining the lifestyle of individuals with Alzheimer’s in the community; however, the disease’s erosion of physical, cognitive, and communicative abilities often creates tremendous strain for family caregivers. Individuals and family caregivers dealing with Alzheimer’s often experience increasing social isolation as the disease’s progression undermines both mobility and the capacity for meaningful and appropriate engagement with the community (Banerjee et al., 2003). A number of studies have documented the physical and mental health costs borne by unsupported caregivers, and the link between caregiver stress and the institutionalization of their ill family members (Andren & Elmstahl, 2005; Banerjee et al., 2003). Taken together, the stress and isolation of dealing with Alzheimer’s disease undermine the health and quality of life of everyone involved, eventually precipitating institutionalization.
“The life course is the progression and path an individual takes from conception to death, and considers that the whole life of the individual presents opportunities for development, change and growth” (Crawford and Walker 2010).
Identify and explain the three major sources of conflict and misinterpretations in social work practice: culture-bound values, class bound values, and language variables.
Dementia is the loss of a person’s mental skills from their daily routines. The symptoms of dementia could easily be over looked, they include forgetting things, daily routines are hard to complete, misplacing things, depression, aggravation and aggression, emotion are high, even feeling like someone is a threat to their life (Web MD,2012). Caring for someone with dementia can be difficult if with resources like healthcare, living facilities, nursing homes and medicine is involved, but sometimes healthcare and facilities do not provide the proper care. This disease is very common in the elderly community past the age of sixty-five. Finding out that a loved
The human brain is extraordinary organ. It stores our memories, vision, hearing, speech, and capable of executing executive higher reasoning and functions setting us apart from animals. Today we know more about the human brain because of medical advances and the development of technology. These brain disorders have been studied for years and many others would classify dementia as a mental illness because it causes cognitive impairments. The following paragraphs will discuss what dementia is, what the types of dementia are, perspectives of patients with dementia as well as the perspective of a caregiver to a dementia patient.
To start, during the video you will clearly see that the social worker James and Anthony both individuals are African American male. However, when looking at both individuals from a cultural perspective there are noticeable likely differences between James and Anthony. Watching the video, I could clearly see that social worker James’s facial structure, which indicated he was older than Anthony. Referencing to the video, it stated, that Anthony was 15 years old during this interactive case study, as compared to social worker James who appeared to look older. Likewise, another likely difference I saw while watching the video, was self-awareness. The fact that James is the social worker, he seems to have a sense of self-direction because of his
Depression is a common mental disorder that affects approximately 350 million people worldwide (World Health Organization (WHO), 2014). At its worst, depression may lead to suicide, with an approximate 1 million deaths per year (WHO, 2014). Since depression is a mood disorder, it can affect many aspects of health, and it may prevent older adults from enjoying life (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2010). Older adults living with depression may suffer from sleep disturbances, aches and pains, fatigue, and changes in weight...
There are changes in the demographic as the population grows older, the number of older adult’s increases and thus, there is an increase of proportion of patients that are older adults for nurses to take care of (Wells, Y., Foreman, P., Gething, L., & Petralia, W., 2004). The nurses are there to assist and support the older adults in achieving wellness within their situation through empowering the clients (Touhy, et al (2012). Caring for older adults is important as there is an increase in population with deteriorating health. When caring for a client it is important to incorporate Jean Watson’s caring theories and Carative Factors to help influence and support the care. She encourages nurses to co-participate within the caring process by establishing unity and trust between the nurse and client. First, this paper will explain a situation in where I cared for an older adult and it will then introduce Jean Watson’s lower order needs, specifically the need for activity and how it relates to the older adult I cared for. Lastly, this paper will explain the nursing interventions I implemented to meet the lower order need, with a discussion of Carative Factor #4 relating to the client.
The elderly represents a large amount of the population in our society and continues to grow each day. As the population grows, it is important to meet the demands and resolve the challenges that we encounter in regards to the overall quality of health and well-being of the elderly. Mental health of the elderly is a major issue but majority of the time goes unnoticed and untreated by caregivers and loved ones. About 20 percent of adults 55 and older are suffering from some type of mental health disorder, and one in three elderly adults do not receive any type of treatment (The State of Mental Health, 2008). Those suffering from mental illness are hesitant to seek out help or any type of treatment because of the stigma, services and cost for care that then comes with mental health disorders. Mental health issues that affect elderly include dementia, delirium, and psychosis. Some of the most common conditions include anxiety, mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder and cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer’s disease. Mental health is essential to the
Older adults are a very knowledgeable population and have had a lot of life experiences. As people age, things start to change physically, mentally, and socially. It’s important to understand the process of aging, so that older adults can be taken care of properly. I interviewed P.R. who is a 71-year-old male that lives alone in his home. P.R. is a retired coal miner, and is currently living off his social security and savings. He lives close to both his daughter and son, who frequently help him out with things that are needed. P.R. was able to give me a lot of insight about specific challenges that he has experienced in his life that is associated with aging. I will be discussing challenges that P.R experienced physically, mentally,
Social work is a multifaceted, ever adapting profession, which has had many purposes and identities through the years. It is imperative for the vocation to constantly evolve alongside the social climate and the new ways in which we identify and treat those who are in need of support. Social workers can be required to take on the role of counsellor, advocate, case-worker, partner, assessor of risk and need, and at times (as the government seeks to push social work further and further towards the health and education sectors) a servant of the state. The profession is dramatically subject to affection by societal change, thus demanding social workers have a duty to be up to date with the latest developments in understanding how and why people get to the point of requiring social work intervention, and how best to prevent and cater for it.
Developing depression in later life is not a normal part of the aging but is a treatable illness just like any other physical malady. It is however often difficult to recognize in older patients. This could be because symptoms often present similar to those of dementia (Aldrich & CDC, 2013) or because of the stigma associated with having a mental illness. The older adult population in today’s society was reared in a time when mental illness was not recognized as a “biological disorder and medical illness” (Geriatric Mental Health Foundatio...
Suicide is a very tragic life event for the victim, victim’s friends and family members and to society as a whole. We often hear about suicide deaths that occur in younger and middle-aged adults in the media but rarely is such attention given to elderly suicide (65 and older). In the United States there is a higher rate of suicide amongst the elderly than in any other part of the population. There are many factors to this problem, however depression among the elderly was recorded as the major contributing factor that lead them to suicide. Every elderly that committed suicide was reported to have been depressed. Understanding the contributing factors that lead to depression amongst the elderly might shed light on the issue. Many studies have shown that depression coupled with risk factors increase tendency of suicide ideation among the elderly. Risk factors such as chronic illness, pain, physical and mental disabilities, isolation, loneliness, role change (retirement), lack of financial security and social support, bereavement, alcohol abuse, hopelessness and dependability have been pointed out as major contributing factors for the high number of depression experienced by the elderly. Society has identified depression and suicides among the elderly are a social problem, but little have been done to educate the public.
Depression is among the risk factors affecting many people especially the elderly in the U.S. Depression leads to mental illness among the elderly in addition to other negative effects of depression are failure of body functionality, high health care costs, poor quality of life and unfavorable health outcomes. Currently, the population of the citizens aged 65 and above is at least 12 percent in America. The population is expected to grow to one-fifth by the years 2030. The projected population growth among the elderly requires a lot of attention since mental problems resulting from depression are likely to increase as well. Although depression affect many elderly people, it remains under-treated and under-recognized in the country (CDC, 2009).
Caregiving for older adults is no easy task. It is very complex as it requires the intersection between being a family member and taking on the responsibilities of a caregiver. Caregivers have to assume this new role that includes taking care of difficult medical procedures. This could include handling medical equipment, distributing medicine, or simply monitoring for adverse affects of sickness or medicine. Family caregiving can cause many problems in the caregiver’s life. Caregiving has negative impacts on multiple different aspects of life, including an impact on physical, emotional, health and financial issues. Caregiving can also take a large toll on the family of the older adult. These caregivers are more likely to experience emotional distress, depression, anxiety, or social isolation (Schulz, 2016). Schulz even reports that family caregivers tend to have worse physical health than those that are not burdened with the responsibility of caring for family members. Physical