Seniors who experience memory loss, cognitive decline, or a rising rate of loneliness are particularly susceptible to mental health problems. An estimated 20% of seniors encounter mental health issues, according to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) research on mental health in older individuals 55 and over. Anxiety, significant cognitive impairment, and mood disorders including sadness or bipolar depression are the most prevalent conditions. For seniors, common mental health conditions like sadness and anxiety can have a detrimental effect on their physical health and fitness. These problems, particularly mood disorders, according to the CDC, can impede one’s ability to function physically, mentally, and socially. They can also impact and make treating other chronic ailments more difficult.
Depression and other disorders are not typical aspects of aging, even though the percentage of older persons with mental health conditions tends to rise with age. When you think of leprosy or lymphatic filariasis (LF), mental health problems are not what spring to mind. Prioritizing the physical impacts of the disorder is understandable, but there are also substantial social and financial ramifications that greatly impact the well-being of those who are impacted.
The Importance of Mental Health
When leprosy or LF is diagnosed, one in two individuals will also experience mental health issues. Those who have mental health issues are particularly likely to develop disabilities as a result of their illness. This involves low self-esteem, extreme anxiety, and depression. It’s easy to understand why there are so many people in this scenario who are also dealing with mental health issues when you include worries about the impact on their schooling, work, housing, or even relationships. Substance abuse can be the main reason for mental issues.
Senior Mental Health
Senior mental health is a treatable condition, which is wonderful news. Apart from the potential for therapeutic intervention via medicine or counseling, several programs and tools are accessible to maintain senior citizens’ mental and emotional well-being and engagement.
A major factor in preventing mental health problems in seniors is staying in touch and sustaining solid, meaningful social ties with friends and family. According to the CDC, having social support lowers the chance of physical and mental illnesses as well as even death. To resolve all the issues take emergency mental health services.
Strategies to Help Seniors’ Mental Health
Active retirement living and adult day health programs can provide seniors with a sociable and supportive group to continue their favorite hobbies and perhaps try some new ones when circumstances and family dynamics change. In light of this, the following is our seniors’ advice for enhancing and preserving their mental health and well-being.
Engage in Mental Games
The brain requires stimulation to keep active and prevent cognitive loss as we age, just as the body needs both to be healthy and sharp. Brain games have the potential to improve a variety of cognitive abilities, including short-term memory, planning, reaction time, processing speed, and decision-making.
Brain health is enhanced by any activity that keeps the mind active and working toward solving issues.
Add Physical Activities
Exercise and physical activity, such as ballroom dancing, yoga, and regular walks, improve confidence and lower the chance of falls, which benefits the body as well as the mind. As with any other period of life, maintaining an active lifestyle and getting enough exercise are crucial for older persons’ mental health and general well-being.
Stretching and strength training are two low-impact workouts that are truly essential to helping seniors maintain their health and lower their risk of typical age-related issues including bone fractures, joint discomfort, and other chronic illnesses.
Maintain Contact with Friends
It can be challenging for people to keep up intimate friendships with old acquaintances over time and distance, particularly as they get older. Maintaining relationships with the people who matter most in an older adult’s life can help prevent feelings of isolation and loneliness, which can exacerbate depression and cause mental and physical decline.
Keeping in touch can be achieved by learning how to use FaceTime, Zoom, Skype, and social media to interact with both old and new acquaintances. Elderly folks can always find someone to help them learn how to use these various apps and internet guides. Seniors might also keep things straightforward by writing letters or scheduling routine phone calls.
Take Up a New Interest
It is critical to continue being active after retirement. Everybody has their wish list of goals and pursuits, but due to a hectic schedule, these ideas are occasionally postponed. Retirement is the ideal moment for seniors to revisit their lifetime interests, such as sewing, painting, gardening, or French cookery, and cross them off their “bucket list”!
When repeated exposure to shadow boxes stimulates the brain’s neuroplasticity—the ability of nerve cells to link or reconnect—it alters the structure and function of the brain. This is why shadow box hobbies are beneficial. Senior mental health improves when people feel more at ease and have a greater feeling of belonging as new connections are formed and existing neural connections in these pathways are reinforced.
Conclusion
Older persons must take care of their mental health since, in the absence of mental stability and well-being, they are more vulnerable to physical illnesses and problems. The benefits of engaging in mind-healthy activities daily are substantial for older persons.
