A Comprehensive Guide To Mental Health in the Elderly

In the UK, approximately 14% of adults aged 60 and over live with a mental disorder. This goes to show that providing mental health support and care for your elderly loved ones is just as important as taking care of their physical health.

To provide the right care and support, it is important to understand the common issues faced by those of an elder generation, how to identify them and the various types of support you can provide.

At Old Alresford, we take a holistic approach to care, ensuring we meet all of your loved ones' needs when receiving long-term care or respite care. This includes taking time to learn about their mental health and creating a bespoke plan to make sure we address and support any conditions they might be living with.

In this blog, we explain some of the common mental health conditions your elderly loved one could face, how to identify them and the care that should be put in place.

Common Mental Health Issues in the Elderly

Mental health issues faced by the elder generation differ from those that younger generations face.

Dementia and memory loss issues cause cognitive functions to slow down and deteriorate, loss of loved ones and rapid changes in life can cause depression and anxiety.

It is a common misconception that these are all just part of ageing. However, this isn't true, and if your loved one lives with one of these conditions, support and care should be put in place to combat the effects and deal with the problem as much as possible - in some cases, the issue can't be cured, so a plan is put in place to manage symptoms and slow progression.

Common conditions include:

Depression – which can affect around 7% of the older population, yet often goes undiagnosed.
Anxiety – impacts around 10-20% of the elderly.
Memory loss & dementia-related issues – more than 944,000 people in the UK have dementia.

How To Identify Mental Health Issues In Your Elderly Loved One

The signs and symptoms of a mental health issue in your loved one can be difficult to spot. This is because they are different from the symptoms shown by younger generations and will often be hidden by your loved one out of fear and embarrassment.

Symptoms to look out for are:

Changes in mood
Changes in energy levels
Withdrawing from social events and activities
Altered sleep patterns
Increased irritability
Increased anxiety

The earlier you spot these and get a diagnosis, the better, as treatment can be put in place to prevent it from getting worse or to slow the deterioration down in the case of a dementia diagnosis.

Care You Can Provide For Your Loved One

Care plans will vary depending on the specific diagnosis your loved one receives. But patience, understanding and a proactive approach will always be needed.

No matter what condition your loved one is living with, it is important to create a safe environment. Making sure they feel comfortable and secure will encourage them to open up to you, expressing thoughts, feelings and emotions without fear of judgement. This can be incredibly useful, especially in cases of depression and anxiety.

Social interaction is another way you can support your loved one with a mental health condition. Engaging with other people is essential for everyone, but it can particularly help those with depression, anxiety and any form of dementia, as it stimulates their brains.

However, it is important to know when your loved one is tired or overwhelmed and needs to leave the situation.

Care For Yourself

Providing care for a loved one with a mental health condition can be difficult, so you need to make sure that you also look after yourself.

You will need to learn your own limits and put additional care and support in place.

Don't forget it isn't a weakness to ask for help, so reach out to friends and family, join support groups to share your experience with people in similar situations or employ a professional service and implement respite care as part of your care plan.

Treatment Options

Treatment plans might not be cures. Dementia currently doesn't have a cure, so any professional treatment plans put in place will focus on managing symptoms and slowing down the progression of the condition.

If your loved one has a depression or anxiety diagnosis, care plans will aim to resolve any underlying issues causing them.

Each type of mental health condition will likely use a combination of therapies and medication, and in some cases, lifestyle changes might be recommended.

Mental health conditions vary depending on the person and the trigger, therefore, your loved one will receive a personalised plan to suit their condition, preferences and life story.

Fostering Emotional Health Among Older Adults

Whether your loved one has a diagnosis of a mental health condition or not, there are several things you can do with them as a caregiver and family member to promote mental health and prevent the development or deterioration of an issue.

Encouraging regular physical activity
Attending social engagements
Participating in hobbies to stimulate their mind and body
Join clubs or volunteering opportunities

Mental Health Care At Old Alresford Care Home

Whether you are a full-time carer or not, it is our shared responsibility to identify and support mental health issues in the elderly because it may have a positive impact on their life. For this reason, it's critical to understand the common problems and symptoms that our ageing population faces.

At Old Alresford, our team undertake specialist training around mental health in the elderly so they are able to spot potential signs of depression, anxiety or dementia.

We are a dementia specialist residential home, so our home is geared towards providing expert dementia care. This is reflected in our activities programme, which includes animal, garden, music and reminiscence therapy. All of our activities are amended to meet your loved one's abilities so everyone can take part when they want to.

Before your loved one joins us, be it for a short respite stay or a longer-term plan, we will complete a care needs assessment, from which we will create a bespoke care plan. This ensures that we provide quality care that meets every need of your loved one, from physical and medical needs to mental and emotional support.

We recommend you visit us to learn more about life at our care home. On this visit, you will be able to see our facilities and rooms, meet our staff and maybe even join us for lunch and experience dining with us.

We will be able to explain how we cater to the specific mental health issues your loved one is living with, providing reassurance that we will handle the situation delicately and with the utmost respect.

Call us on 01962 734121 or complete our online contact form to arrange a viewing.

We look forward to welcoming you into our home.