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Senior Care: Managing Depression

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Senior Care: Managing Depression Depression may not seem like much from the outside looking in, but to a person suffering from depression, it is an ailment that brings life to a screeching halt. While most people go through moments of "feeling depressed", these are nothing like bouts of clinical depression. According to WebMD, depression includes "feelings of intense sadness -- including feeling helpless, hopeless, and worthless" these feelings "last for many days to weeks and keep you from functioning normally." Clinical depression is not something a person can just overcome, snap out of, or get over. When depression is not treated, it can lead to a number of high-risk behaviors such as alcohol and drug abuse. It also greatly increases …show more content…

Making things worse, most senior depression does not come about all by itself. The depression is often related to, or even a consequence of, another illness or injury. These ailments also have medication. Many seniors may have difficulty remembering to take their medicine, simply don't want to (since they are depressed), could have difficulty opening the bottle due to arthritis, or cannot read the fine print on their many medication bottles. In such cases, senior care aides are able to assist with an effective medication management plan. Unlike many other illnesses, depression cannot be cured by simply taking a pill. Depression is tied to many different parts of a person's life and personality. This means a person has to learn to take their life back. Medication is certainly a part of that process, as is counseling, but there are other life strategies that come into play as well. For example, setting a schedule can help a person with depression get things accomplished even if they don't feel like it. Setting goals and reaching them can lead to increased feelings of self-worth and this is a great start. Since hopelessness is a large part of depression, being able to stick to a schedule – even a simple one – helps show that all is not

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