Top 10 Causes and Risk Factors Contributing to Depression in Older Adults
TOP TEN Causes and risk factors that can contribute to depression in older adults
- Health problems – Illness and disability; living with chronic or severe pain; cognitive decline; damage to body image due to surgery or disease.
- Loneliness and isolation – Living alone; a dwindling social circle due to deaths or relocation; decreased mobility due to illness or loss of driving privileges.
- Reduced sense of purpose – Feelings of purposelessness or loss of identity due to retirement or physical limitations on activities.
- Fears – Fear of death or dying, living alone, feeling vulnerable or health issues.
- Recent bereavement – The death of friends, family members, and pets; the loss of a spouse or partner.
- Holiday Blues- There are many seniors who are left alone during the holidays. Their memories of their families, and times with their beloved spouse and children are prevalent.
- Alcoholism or Addiction- Addiction is something that can become troublesome with seniors, and can contribute and be a symptom of something lying beneath the surface
- Financial Stress- The housing market has caused many seniors to realize they no longer have the equity to live on the rest of their lives as they thought they had.
- Difficult Relationships- Strain on family dynamics can rest on the shoulders of your parent. They may agonize over the conflicts between family members or their own children.
- Radical Changes- Let’s face it. Change is difficult for people at any age. Seniors who must face leaving their long time home to assisted living, or moving in with their own children can bring about overwhelming feelings.