Four Concrete Things You Can Do if Your Senior Is Depressed

By Andy Niska | November 29, 2018 |

If your elderly family member is dealing with depression, she might feel helpless and hopeless. That makes the situation even more difficult. When you find out what’s going on, you might also feel hopeless. But there are some steps that you can take in order to help her to cope.

Elderly Care in Spokane Valley WA: Supporting a Senior with Depression

Talk to Her Doctor.

The very first step if you or your elderly family member suspect that she’s dealing with depression is to talk to her doctor. Your senior’s doctor can look at the situation from a medical perspective to determine if there are underlying health issues that are causing the depression. It’s entirely possible that you can approach her depression from a medical perspective and start to see results.

Put a Plan Together.

Once you know what you’re dealing with, you’re going to be better able to put a plan together for your senior. If the problem is purely medical, then medication or other changes might be what you use as part of the solution. Sometimes therapy can be a good idea, especially if your senior is experiencing depression as a result of concerns she has about the changes in her life. It might also be helpful for her to join a support group, especially if she has a health issue that is causing her depression.

Get Some Extra Help.

Right now your elderly family member isn’t necessarily in the best frame of mind to handle much of what needs to be done. That’s perfectly normal when battling depression, but having some extra help makes a big difference. Elderly care providers can step in and handle the boring, mundane details of life so that your senior can focus on doing what she needs to do for herself.

Check in with Your Senior, but Don’t Overwhelm Her.

Your senior may be battling with depression, but that isn’t everything about her. You should check in with her about how she’s feeling and what’s going on with her depression, but it shouldn’t be the entire focus of your conversations. If you’re adding pressure to her, she’s more likely to have trouble managing her depression.

When you and your elderly family member face her depression head on, you can start to make some progress. You can’t battle depression for your senior, but you can be there to support her and to give her what she needs in order to deal with what’s going on.

If you or an aging loved one are considering elderly care in Spokane Valley, WA, please contact the friendly staff at Love at Home Senior Care, today. Call (509) 204-4088

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Andy Niska

Owner at Love In Home Senior Care

Andy has over 20+ years experience in the medical community and has a true compassion for seniors. With a degree in Health Care Administration, he developed a background in a variety of health care services that only comes from first hand experience. While working as a manager of a large clinic and as an account executive for medical suppliers. Andy has built valuable relationships with the medical community.

His role in Love In Home Senior Care is to educate people on what care choice is the best fit for the senior and their family while attempting to make this decision as stress-free as possible for everyone involved.

This decision making process should be smooth and stress free for everyone, including all family members and their loved ones. Having access to people with experience (like the team at Love In Home Senior Care) to assist you along the way can help this process. With an extensive background in health care, Andy has the experience needed to guide and direct your loved one to the choice that is the best fit.