There are various factors that have the potential to play a role in the development of depression among older individuals. Due to the physical changes taking place in their lives, the chances of a psychological disorder forming in their minds are possible. Studies on depression including older adults are becoming more common. Many may perceive an older adult’s life to be free from a variety of life’s common stressors, but not all problems disappear in the season of retirement. Digging deeper into the reasons why older adults are showing depression symptoms has led to research that extends into their personal living situations, as well as the level of care they are receiving. This matter needs to be addressed because of the major influx in birth rates between 1946 and 1962. This outsized group of people is known as the baby boomers, and though managing the aging population has always come with challenges, this cohort of people is pushing America’s limits of providing sufficiently for the elderly to a new level (Whitbourne …show more content…
McLaren stated that, rates of depression vary from 0.9 to 9.4% for those living at home (as cited in Djernes, 2006; Maercker et al., 2008; Preville et al., 2008), compared with 13–19% in low-level care facilities (as cited in Davison et al., 2007; Watson, Garrett, Sloane, Gruber-Baldini, & Zimmerman, 2003) and 14–42% in high-level care/nursing homes (as cited in Djernes, 2006). This collection of data shows a noticeable increase in depressive systems participants were experiencing due to their place of residence. The statistics are alarming and have raised many concerning questions that examine how where someone lives has the potential to cause such an obvious transformation in their levels of
Depression is one of the most recurrently investigated psychological disorders within the area of medical R&D (Montorio & Izal, 1996). A number of exhaustive researches have been carried out to study its symptoms and impacts on different patients belonging to different personal and professional attributes and most of these researchers depicted that depression in the elderly people is very frequent and in spite of number of researches in this context, it is often undiagnosed or untreated. To add to this jeopardy, it has also been estimated that only 10% out of the total depressed elderly individuals receive proper diagnosis and treatment (Holroyd et al, 2000). And for that reason, an authentic
Depression- Depression is a significant issue for individuals with high care needs, and their carer’s. Research has shown that the depression levels of young individuals residing in aged care is twice of those living at home, or in Youngcare housing. For individuals living at home 56 percent of their carer’s are defined as moderately depressed, and 40 percent are defined as severely or extremely depressed.
Caroline Parker, consultant pharmacist for adult mental health services at Central and North-West London NHS Foundation Trust in her September 2012 article: “depression, clinical features and diagnosis” shows the reader that depression involves more than lack of “emotional response to life struggles.” Instead she provides the reader with an in-depth insight into the condition; including its pathophysiology, symptoms and prognosis. It has been identified that depression is more common in women rather than men. [1] It has also been discovered that depression is more likely to develop in people with pre-existing conditions such as the elderly. The elderly are more likely to slip back into depression, possibly due to a decline in their health
Depression is a very prevalent mental disorder that many people have in the world. Depression can be termed as consistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities that result in an impairment in daily functioning. Depression can be characterized by hopelessness, and a pessimistic view of the world. People who suffer with depression should take act immediately in receiving help because they could possibly commit suicide and or poor health outcomes. Many older adults who receive help are more than likely to reduce the severity of depression. Also, older adults that receive help by using evidence based practice from their clinicians
This study concluded that depression during the first year of residence in a nursing home has risen from 42% in 1999 to 54% in 2005 and found those who were admitted from another facility were more likely to be diagnosed with depression (Hoover et al., 2010).
Mental disorders are becoming more prevalent in today's society as people add stress and pressure to their daily lives. The elderly population is not eliminated as a candidate for a disorder just because they may be retired. In fact, mental disorders affect 1 in 5 elderly people. One would think that with disorders being rather prevalent in this age group that there would be an abundance of treatment programs, but this is not the case. Because the diagnosis of an individual's mental state is subjective in nature, many troubled people go untreated regularly (summer 1998). Depression in the elderly population is a common occurrence, yet the diagnosis and treatment seem to slip
“While we have 35 million people aged 65 and older in the United States, the baby boomers will solidify the aging revolution in America. As this group continues to swell the ranks of elderly population, increasing numbers of older adults are
Older adults are the fastest growing segment of the population and it is projected that by 2030 their size will increase by 7% equaling 20% of the total U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014; Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] & Merck Foundation, 2007). Due to the current and expected shift in the demographics, late-life depression has become a public health concern and has increased the demand for mental health services for older Americans (CDC & National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, 2009). According to the CDC (2015), the prevalence estimates of major depression in older adults varies from 1% to 13.5%. Furthermore, the prevalence of depression drastically increases from 12% to 30% as older adults move from community to institutional settings (Unutzer, Katon, Sullivan, & Miranda, 1999).
Depression I feel is a disorder that gets overlooked in older adults as well as all age groups. Some individuals may feel depression is not actually a medical condition, but that is not the case. According to the Clinical Gerontologist (2013), depression in the older adult is among the most prevalent medical illness, with signs of depression
The purpose of this research is to review factors that trigger elderly depression states, their physical and mental health conditions,
The US population is beginning to see a significant growth in the proportion of Americans who are 65 and older. In 2011 the first of the baby boomers began entering the age of 65. The last of the baby boomers will turn 65 in 2030, and it is projected that one in every five Americans will be elderly at that time (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013; Ortman, Velkoff & Hogan, 2014). Also adding to the reason for the increase in proportion of aging individuals in the population is the declines in fertility and the dramatic increases in longevity, which means the number of generations of a family alive at one time has continued to increase. At each stage of the life the post war baby boomers, because of the sheer size of the group,
In 2011 forty million people were over the age of 65 (Jacobsen, Kent, Lee, Mather.) America is on the verge of an aging boom the likes of which have never been seen before. Baby Boomers, or Americans born between 1946 and 1964, have been straining community resources at every stage in their life cycle since the end of World War II (Span.) By 2050 the projected estimate of the aging population will soar to double what it was in 2011. In the coming years Americans will have to plan for where they all will go, and since Social Security makes up 82% of the income for the poorest 40% of people ages 65 and older (Jacobsen,) the plan will also have to be economically conscious, as well. Although there are many different styles of adult living and
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “older adults are at an increased risk of depression, because depression is more common in people who have other illnesses, and 80% of older adults have a chronic condition” (CDC, 2017). The CDC also mentions that older adults are often misdiagnosed or undertreated, because the symptoms may be thought to be the cause of something else, or the patient doesn’t understand that treatment would be beneficial and do not seek help.
The expected growth of the older population in the United States over the next fifty years will have an exceptional impact on the U.S. health care system. Population aging is a complex issue that concerns not only the well-being of today’s older American’s but also comprehensive areas and sectors affecting the total population, such as health, labor markets and public finances. It affects and engages communities, all levels of government, and all sectors of society. In this paper there is a discussion of the aging population and the impact it has on
As most of society is aware of healthcare is a hot topic and it is an issue that affects most everyone, from newborns to centenarians. I am going to show what issues affect most of our seniors in regards to mental challenges, cognitive degeneration, and physical health issues. In addition I am going to show how these changes jeopardize the independence and safety issues of seniors who live alone. I will show various ways of counteracting the different healthcare concerns that can restrict the effects of a disease or limit the symptoms of various illnesses. No matter how one feels