May is National Mental Health Month and it’s a good time for families to focus on their parent’s mental health and well-being. Mental health is just as important as physical healthy for seniors, but seniors are much less likely to look after their mental health.
When seniors get a cut or have a medical health issue they will go to a doctor to get care. But when seniors lose a spouse, retire and struggle to find a sense of purpose, or develop anxiety about their future they are less likely to get mental health help because they feel like that’s just not something that people do. A huge number of seniors feel like mental health should be handled without outside help.
If you’re worried about your senior parent’s mental health or you want to be sure that they are not alone all the time at home and you can’t visit often or live too far away to see them regularly companion care at home can help. With companion care at home seniors get the support and socialization that they need to stay mentally healthy.
Companion care at home can also help seniors who struggle with these common mental health issues:
Depression
Depression is reaching epidemic levels among seniors. Seniors are struggling with losing friends, and possibly even a spouse, while they try to figure out what their life should look like now that they’re seniors. It’s common for seniors to become depressed after their retire because they no longer have a reason to get up and leave the house each day if they’re not working. It can take time and patience for seniors to find their way after retirement. Seniors can also become depressed for a number of other reasons, including physical health problems or side effects from medications that they take for health problems.
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders are also very common among seniors. There are some medications that can help seniors control their anxiety if they go to the doctor and describe what they’re going through. But some seniors still think they need to just tough it out and get through anxiety on their own. If your senior parent is struggling with anxiety try to get them to see a doctor or a mental health professional that can help them by prescribing medication and helping learn ways to cope with anxiety flare ups, like deep breathing exercises.
PTSD
PTSD is more common among seniors than you might think. Seniors have traumatic experiences like falling at home, losing a spouse, or going through a medical event like a heart attack or a stroke and they can develop PTSD from that. PTSD can be difficult to treat but you should encourage your senior parent to try both medication and talk therapy to help them process their experience and learn how to manage the symptoms of PTSD.
If you or an aging loved one are considering companion care at home in Newton, MA, please contact the caring staff at PlatinumCare + today. Call (617) 237-0867
PlatinumCare + was born out of the desire and passion to provide the very best home health care possible in Brookline, Dover, Newton, Needham, Watertown, Weston, Cambridge, Lincoln, Sudbury, Belmont, Boston MA, and surrounding areas.
All with decades of experience, Tim in IT Operations, Support, and Management, Brenda in Client Relations, Healthcare Services & Sales Management, and Anne in Healthcare as a Nurse Practitioner combined their skills to form what is now PlatinumCare +.
As immigrants to the US, all came from backgrounds where Healthcare for aging parents was a responsibility of the immediate family and the entire community. Aging, sick, or terminal community members were cared for physically, emotionally, and financially by family, friends, including strangers! This community approach, Healthcare with a difference, delivered with the utmost love, care, sacrifice, and passion, forms the basis of how PlatinumCare + grounds itself.
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