Depression affects millions of people every single year. People of all ages can become depressed. However, one of the most common age groups to become depressed are elderly adults. If your elderly loved one is feeling depressed, it is important that you do what you can to help them feel better. If your elderly loved one has caregivers, they can assist with this process, as well.
Learn More About Depression
One of the ways that you can help your elderly loved one to overcome depression is by learning more about depression. Depression affects everyone in various ways. Your elderly loved one may isolate themselves, eat unhealthy foods constantly, feel stressed out or anxious, or feel empty. The more you can learn about how depression could affect your elderly loved one or how it is affecting them, the more you will be able to help them overcome it.
Reminding Them of Your Support
People who are feeling depressed often feel like they are all alone. They may feel like nobody in their life understands or gets what they are going through. This may be what your elderly loved one is going through. If your elderly loved one is depressed, know that they probably won’t reach out to you to ask for your support. It is up to you to call them regularly and let them know you are there for them. Tell them that you are available if they need to talk or call you, as well. If they have caregivers, have their caregivers tell them they are available to talk, too. The more people who can offer them support, the better.
Asking the Right Questions
As previously mentioned, depression can hit everyone in a different way. It is important that you are asking your elderly loved one the right questions. Some of the things that you may want or need to ask them include the following:
- Is there anything that you need?
- How are you coping today?
- Do you need resources on how to cope?
- Can I do something for you?
- Would it be okay if I ran an errand for you to help out?
- Where is your depression stemming from?
- When did it start to get this bad?
- What makes things worse?
- Does anything make it better?
By asking your elderly loved one these questions, you can better understand what they are going through. By better understanding them, you can offer more assistance in the ways that they need.
If your elderly loved one is depressed, you can help them to overcome it or at least manage it. By doing the things mentioned above, you can be there to support them when they need it the most.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Home Health Care in Summit, NJ, call the caring staff at Helping Hands Home Care today at 908-418-4299.
Providing Home Care Services in all of Northern and Central NJ, including Clark, Westfield, Cranford, Scotch Plains, Rahway, Linden, Summit, Edison, Elizabeth, Mountainside, and the surrounding areas.
Sources
Nia.nih.gov
Health.gov
After graduating from Seton Hall University with a BS in finance Helping Hands Homecare’s Owner / President, Robert D’Arienzo, went to work on Wall St. for six years. However, after Robert’s grandmother became ill with stomach cancer Robert and his family needed to find assistance in the home for her. After many trials and tribulations Robert could see that there was a great need for quality home care services here in NJ and loved the idea of being able to assist other families who were going through what his family went through with his beloved grandmother.
Thus, Robert had found his passion. After almost a year of preparation Robert opened Helping Hands Homecare in 2003. Robert wanted Helping Hands Homecare to focus on providing the highest quality of caregivers, exceptional customer service, and providing a service that familys could depend on in their time of need. Since then Helping Hands has assisted hundreds of individuals with the simplest of needs to more complex cases while preserving those standards set out many years ago.
Robert is a Google Verified Author
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