An older adult is a person aged 60 years or over. According to the World Health Organisation, older adults are at risk of developing mental health conditions. Why? Many older people experience challenges such as reduced mobility, chronic pain and other health difficulties. Often older adults with anxiety will experience a range of symptoms from the categories below:
An older adult may have depression if, for more than two weeks, he or she has felt sad, down or miserable most of the time or has lost interest or pleasure in most of his or her usual activities, and similar to anxiety, has experienced several of the signs and symptoms across at least three of the categories below.
It's important to remember that everyone experiences some of these symptoms from time to time and it may not necessarily mean that the person is depressed. Equally, not every person who is experiencing depression will have all of these symptoms.
Older adults with depression tend to present with more symptoms from the physical category compared to the other categories. An older adult is more likely to present to their GP with various physical complaints and difficulty sleeping rather than complaints of sadness or low mood.
A study found that up to 40 per cent of people with dementia can experience depression.
When dementia and depression occur at the same time it may be difficult to distinguish between them because the signs and symptoms are similar. However, dementia and depression are very different conditions that require different responses and treatment, so a thorough assessment by a health professional is recommended.
In older people, both personal carers (e.g. a partner, family member or friend) and professional carers are a valuable source of information. Both personal and professional carers should be included in healthcare discussions and assessment where possible.
If your life or someone else’s is in danger, call 000 immediately.
If you’re in distress and need help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 for 24/7 crisis support.
For non-emergency support, your GP or regular health practitioner is often the best place to start. They will be able to assess your individual situation and recommend the best next steps for your recovery.
Remember that help is always available, no matter the situation.
Things you need to know
While we hope you find this information helpful, please note that it is general in nature. It is not health advice, and is not tailored to meet your individual health needs. You should always consult a trusted health professional before making decisions about your health care. While we have prepared the information carefully, we can’t guarantee that it is accurate, complete or up-to-date. And while we may mention goods or services provided by others, we aren’t specifically endorsing them and can’t accept responsibility for them. For these reasons we are unable to accept responsibility for any loss that may be sustained from acting on this information (subject to applicable consumer guarantees).