Mental health problems are common among seniors and may include isolation, affective and anxiety disorders, dementia, and psychosis, among others. Many seniors also suffer from sleep and behavioral disorders, cognitive deterioration or confusion states as a result of physical disorders or surgical interventions.
The most common conditions include anxiety, severe cognitive impairment, and mood disorders (such as depression or bipolar disorder) (6). Mental health issues are often implicated as a factor in cases of suicide. Older men have the highest suicide rate of any age group (7).
How to figure out the emotional issues of elderly people? Signs of insufficient sleeping, poor appetite, or unstable concentration are a few symptoms shown by the elderly. Every emotional care offered to seniors should be designed in a way to deal with loneliness, boredom, vulnerability, and isolation.
For seniors, stress often manifests itself in more physical ways, including health problems. Warning signs of stress could include frequent headaches, sleep problems, insomnia, fatigue (physical and mental), difficulty concentrating, change in appetite, muscle tension, pain, chest pain, stomach upset and more.
The most common mental disorders in older people include depression, anxiety, and substance abuse [2].
Arthritis. This chronic disease is one of the most common age related conditions older adults experience. Arthritis causes joint pain and chronic inflammation.
Common conditions in older age include hearing loss, cataracts and refractive errors, back and neck pain and osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, depression and dementia.
As people get older, they have less energy to get things done each day. Usually, personal hygiene (specifically bathing) is one of those things that gets neglected. So how often should an elderly bathe? To avoid any skin conditions or infections, a senior should bathe at least once or twice a week.
There are four basic needs: The need for Attachment; the need for Control/Orientation; the need for Pleasure/Avoidance of Pain; and the need for Self-Enhancement.
Your loved one's mood changes could be caused by them reacting out of pain or exasperation to a medical condition that you may not even be able to see. In other cases, severe mood swings in seniors could be due to personal frustration with their changing bodies and lifestyles.
Some older persons might feel that they are so useless, helpless and at the mercy of their physical problems, changes in living arrangement or negative events. This sense of hopelessness and helplessness might be prolonged and lead to the development of depressive illness or even suicidal attempt.
Center for Parent Information and Resources lists 6 types of emotional disturbances: anxiety disorders, • bipolar disorder, • conduct disorders, • eating disorders, • obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and • psychotic disorders.
In short, cognitive aging means that as we get older, our mental functions become less nimble and flexible, and many aspects of our memory get a little worse. We also become more easily distracted by busy environments, and it takes more effort to work through complex problems and decisions.
Adults aged 65 and older need: At least 150 minutes a week (for example, 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week) of moderate-intensity activity such as brisk walking. Or they need 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity activity such as hiking, jogging, or running.
Some of the most common mental illnesses in the elderly include dementia, depression, anxiety disorders and severe cognitive impairment among others.
Some common risk factors for anxiety disorders in seniors include: Stressful life events (e.g., death of a loved one) Limited physical mobility. Loss of independence.