When it comes to your elderly loved one’s health, it isn’t just about their weight and what they eat. It is more than just their physical health. You also need to focus on their mental health, as well. So many times, the mental health of the elderly is ignored or forgotten about. This doesn’t have to be the case for your elderly loved one. You can help to manage your elderly loved one’s mental health starting today with these tips.
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Elder Care Albany NY – Helping to Manage Your Elderly Loved One’s Mental Health
You can start helping your elderly loved one by learning about senior citizens and mental health. There are some similar reasons why the elderly experience mental health issues compared to younger adults. Some of these reasons include traumatic events, an overwhelming lifestyle, losing loved ones, and more. However, there are other reasons why senior citizens experience mental health issues, too. Some of these include dealing with neurodegenerative changes and declining cognitive functions. The more you learn about your elderly loved one’s mental health, the more you can help them.
Note Any Changes
You should also make sure you and the elder care providers are noting any changes that happen with your loved one’s mental health. For instance, if your elderly loved one is experiencing anxiety, be sure to record how they are doing with that. Your elderly loved one’s doctor may have put them on medication for their anxiety. Be sure you and the elder care providers are tracking if your loved one is doing better on the medication, the worse, or the same.
Get Care in Time and On Time
You should ensure that your elderly loved one is getting care in time and on-time. This means that if your elderly loved one is experiencing mental health symptoms that don’t ease up quickly, they should see their doctor or a therapist. At the very least, they need to talk to someone about it. In addition, if they are getting care, they need to get to all of their appointments on-time. You or the elder care providers can ensure your elderly loved one is making it to the appointments to get the care they need.
It is important to pay attention to your elderly loved one’s mental health state. They need to get the necessary care for their mental health, just like they do for their physical health. Many people think that the elderly don’t suffer from mental health issues, but that just isn’t true. Be sure you and the elder care providers are helping your loved one with their mental health from here on out.
Sources: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/older-adults-and-mental-health/index.shtml
