Even if a senior appears to be in relatively good physical health, they may need home health care for other reasons, such as mental health issues. Many older adults must deal with increased vulnerability to mental illness, and the more help they receive, the better their quality of life is. However, the prevalence of mental disorders among the elderly is not always correctly understood.

Why Are Seniors More Vulnerable to Mental Health Issues?

With age comes a decreased capacity to function independently, leaving seniors’ minds more prone to illness. It should be noted that physical ailments can be significant mental stressors. Significant changes in their lives, including hiring home health care workers to help with everyday tasks, could also be taxing on their minds. Additionally, seniors often struggle with finances after retirement and grief and loneliness over the loss of loved ones, all of which can affect overall happiness and make them more prone to depression and anxiety.

What Are Common Mental Health Conditions for Seniors & the Early Warning Signs?

Many seniors wrestle with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and PTSD. Early symptoms for each of these illnesses may include irritability, mood swings, trouble sleeping, excessive worrying over minor issues, and significant change or loss of appetite. As the diseases progress, other symptoms will help distinguish them from each other. For instance, depression is identified by an inability to feel pleasure, anxiety disorders often lead to potent phobias, bipolar disorder may make a person dangerously impulsive, and PTSD can lead someone to disassociate from their surroundings. These are brief examples, and each disease is complicated.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s are similarly prevalent among the elderly. Both are characterized in their early stages by memory loss and confusion over everyday tasks. Alzheimer’s, however, is a type of dementia that involves progressive degradation of the parts of the brain that control memory and thinking. Dementia is a syndrome or collection of symptoms that could be caused by a variety of issues.

Eating disorders often go overlooked among the elderly, but they are common, too. Due to stressors and medications associated with any of the above illnesses, seniors may lose interest in food or the ability to taste it properly. 

How Can You Promote Mental Wellness for Seniors? 

A combination of therapy and medication can help seniors manage their mental health, along with their physical ailments. Loneliness often leads to mental health issues, so ensure that your loved one is still participating in social interactions. If they feel like they are cared for and acknowledged, then they aren’t going to feel isolated from the world around them. Home health care professionals can provide every type of care that a senior person requires. Several home care agencies can work with their schedules and specific needs, aiding them to achieve a higher quality of life.

TLC Wellness Hawaii in Honolulu, HI, is staffed by caregivers who are happy to provide attentive and compassionate home health care services for seniors with mental illnesses. Their home health aides are trained to handle a variety of other aspects of senior care as well, including nursing, grooming, meal preparation, transportation, and more. Learn more by calling them at (808) 200-1776 or messaging them online.