Four Tips for Helping if Your Senior Is Depressed
Lots of variables factor into depression, especially for older adults. Your elderly family member may not even recognize at first that she is experiencing depression. Signs can include changes in appetite, changes in sleeping habits, and generally being more isolated than she has been in the past. Ignoring depression won’t make the situation any better.
Elderly Care in Bryn Mawr PA: Helping Ease Depression
Do What You Can to Visit as Often as Possible
Often aging adults who are depressed are lonely and even isolated. This can be a situation of their own making, but it can also be because they’re not getting the same level of interaction from others that they care about. As your senior’s family caregiver, it’s important for you to visit as often as you’re reasonably able to. If that’s not possible, then bringing in a caregiver for companionship might be a good idea.
Set up Extra Support Systems
Your senior may need extra support in other ways, too. If cooking or keeping up with household tasks is becoming difficult for her, then a caregiver can assist with those as well. Having more difficulty with tasks that she’s handled on her own for decades is a type of loss, and that can lead to depression, too. By setting up the extra support systems that she needs, you can help your elderly family member to work her way through those losses.
Talk to Her Doctor
Often depression doesn’t have just one cause. Your senior may also be dealing with underlying health issues that are contributing to her depression. If she hasn’t been tested for some of those conditions, then talking to her doctor is a good idea. This answer is easy to overlook, but it can make all the difference for your elderly family member. It’s important to find out if any health issues are causing depression because treating the health issue can help the depression.
Pay Attention to How Your Senior’s Depression Is Affecting You
Also, it’s important to understand how your senior’s depression can be affecting you as her family caregiver. It’s all too common to take it personally if your elderly family member doesn’t seem to be getting better, even if you’re putting in a lot of effort to help her. If you’re not careful, you can start to develop your own depression while you’re helping her to manage hers.
Depression is something that your senior should not ignore. Putting together a plan can help her to recover much more quickly.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Elderly Care in Bryn Mawr PA, please contact the friendly staff at Suma Home Care.
Call today: (484) 206-4544
Ibrahim recently completed a Professional Certificate in Management; He is currently pursuing a Masters in Business Administrations (MBA) at a prestigious university in the UK.
With their passion for helping others and a strong background in customer services and clinical care, Ibrahim and his wife started assisting individuals in their homes.
Since started and operating Suma Home Care in 2010 in the basement of their home, Suma Home Care has provided professionals who work endlessly in providing clients with the highest quality of care, while enabling clients to maintain dignity, comfort and safety in their homes.
Suma Home Care, serves four counties in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery and Philadelphia. Ibrahim is firmly connected to his local community and is always looking for ways to give back whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Ibrahim enjoys spending time with his wife and children, travelling and enjoys sports.
Mariama Suma-Keita BSN RN
Born in Sierra Leone west Africa, relocated to America in 1999 from a civil war and settled since in the U.S.A as a Naturalized citizen Graduated from National school of nursing with an associate , and completed BSN in Nursing from Immaculata University graduated with Honor roll Alpha Lambda sigma, After escaping the war served as a refugee nurse in Gambia and Guinea to other displaced refugees before coming to America.
In the states started in Homecare then then transition into hospital, worked in Jefferson hospital as a Registered nurse on Tele and general medsurg floor, also worked in Einstein hospital as an oncology transplant nurse , I realized that I enjoy working with patients so much and believe in quality and compassionate care one at a time dealing with an holistic approach in caring for patients and family in a familiar environment called home , I see the impact and progress when they’re home , it makes them feel relax and progress fast with recovering at home. As a nurse and entrepreneur I understand that dedication to meeting people and families needs is a priority, and able to foster relationships with family and patients that is professional and friendly to help them stay and settled home as a desire.
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