Although this season is typically viewed as the season of joy, for some older adults, the holidays are a period of intense unhappiness. Yearning for holidays past, despair over the loss of family and friends, and difficult changes to health can magnify during the holiday season, and it’s imperative to take steps to help senior loved ones prevent the downward slope into depression.
Start by asking yourself these three questions if a senior you love is feeling the “holiday blues” this season.
- Is it regular nostalgia? Wistful feelings of nostalgia, recalling pre-pandemic holiday celebrations and get-togethers, are normal for all of us. See if the senior’s sadness is lifted after a trip down memory lane, or if it lingers no matter the topic of conversation.
- Is health affected? If your family member is struggling to sustain a healthy diet, has difficulty staying or falling asleep during the night, is losing weight, and/or feeling exhausted, these could all be signs and symptoms of depression.
- Is the senior disengaged? Watch for a disinterest in formerly-enjoyed hobbies, lack of motivation, trouble with concentration and focus, and/or the inability to sit still without fidgeting, as these are also typical in depression.
Lara Honos-Webb, clinical psychologist and author of “Listening to Depression: How Understanding Your Pain Can Heal Your Life,” compares the distinction between depression and sadness to colors. “A person is blue if they have deep, colorful emotions in response to loss in life. Depression is more like the color black – there [are] no subtle colors to the emotion but stark pain.”
It’s essential to seek medical help if depression is suspected – or even if you are uncertain – as effective treatment methods are available and necessary, and early detection and treatment are key. Here a number of elderly care tips that all members of the family can use to support a senior loved one with depression:
- Create a list of the senior’s hobbies and interests, and set a schedule to engage in several of them together.
- Encourage the senior to exercise along with you, including getting outside for walks to take pleasure in nature.
- Turn on some of the senior’s favorite music, or if the senior plays a musical instrument, request that she/he play some songs for you.
- Remain positive yourself, providing affirmations to remind the senior of your love and of the many small but wonderful aspects each new day brings.
- Above all, just be there, no matter what the older adult’s mood. In some cases, just sitting together quietly may make a world of difference in how someone feels.
Reach out to Independence-4-Seniors Home Care for further tips and resources that can help improve wellbeing for seniors, and for the top notch in-home care DuPage County and other surrounding areas prefer most.