On Elder Depression
Posted by Administrator in Mental Health.Researchers estimate that 20% of community dwelling elders experience symptoms of depression, and the prevalence rate for depression in older women is twice that of men (Huisani, 2004, p. 295).
Late-life depression can have serious repercussions, increasing mortality and disability, higher health care utilization, and longer hospital stays. Yet 63 percent of older adults with a mental health disorder experience an unmet need for mental health services” (Huisani, p. 296).
While Americans are living longer, illness, disability, and injury will eventually happen with advanced age. According to the Administration on Aging, 53 per cent of persons age 65 and older have at least one disability and 33 per cent have a severe disability. Thus, over 7 million elderly persons require assistance with the activities of daily living, i.e., eating, dressing, bathing, getting in and out of bed, etc. All of this increases sharply for persons over 80 years of age.
Consequently, “an estimated 15 per cent of U.S. adults are providing special care for seriously ill or disabled relatives” (Dixon, 2003, p. 5). These family caregivers are simultaneously caring for their own children and often working outside the home as well. Over 22 million households are providing informal care to an elderly relative or friend. “Adults who are caught between caring for aging parents/relatives and raising children at the same time have been referred to as the sandwich generation” (Dixon, 2003, p. 6). Read more