Losing a longtime partner and cherished friends. Persistent medical problems that range from arthritis to cancer sapping strength and peace of mind. Isolation. Lack of a support system. Family induced drama. All that and more strongly correlates to the level of mental health in older adults.
Therapists say those and other factors can bring late-life adults to their waiting rooms with a variety of afflictions, but two of them dominate.
“From a mental standpoint, it’s depression and anxiety hands down,” said Kelly Morgan, a licensed clinical social worker and co-owner of Revere Counseling and Care Management in Atlanta.
Many times, she said of clients, “They’ve been living with depression, and they can and go on with their lives. And when they get to this stage in life the way they manage it no longer works.”
Practitioners said they’re seeing more and more older adults seeking not just various forms of therapy to address those issues — particularly as the past stigma surrounding mental health care fade gradually fades — but also solution-based tips and approaches for (at least) maintaining an even keel, despite dealing with grief, loss, isolation, loss of self-esteem, and, regrettably, even abuse.
Chris Dorsey, an Atlanta licensed clinical social worker who specializes in geriatric psychotherapy, said he has a specific process aimed at combating feelings of sadness, helplessness and end-of-life fears.
“You have to create a room that feels as though you are authentic, you are nonjudgmental, you are safe,” hesaid. Also important is meeting patients where they are, validating their feelings and connecting them with resources.
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
Having helped them manage day-to-day emotions and give them hope, an action plan can take shape, which he called “a purposeful plan they can put into action when they get home.”
Therapists, life coaches, health practitioners and others say those plans can take many forms and there’s no one-size-fits-all.
A broad area that can be broken down is grouped under the general heading of “positive social interactions,” said Dr. Rachel Feit, founder of Evolve Behavioral, which focuses on health psychology.
“Being around people and socializing is important not only to our lifespan but is closely related to our mental health,” she asserted.
“That doesn’t mean you go out and join every card club that there is,” she said, but volunteering with a social service agency, spending time with grandkids and joining an activity even if you’re in a nursing home, or just calling a couple of friends every day, are all helpful.
“Continually seeking opportunities that bring you joy,” is how she put it.
Dorsey’s suggestions fall along similar lines.
“Phone calls, senior centers, church organizations and online communities,” he noted can all help maintain or lift depression and anxiety.
Life coach and yoga teacher Dana Oneto said simply continuing to work or resuming work has helped her clients stay engaged. And, naturally, she believes deeply in the power of regular exercise.
“I had a 90-year-old who would come to my yoga class and would ski all winter,” she remarked.
Exercise can take many forms, but the science behind it vividly illustrates its mental health regulating benefits, therapists and aging experts say.
Credit: NYT
Credit: NYT
“Exercise and movement provide endorphins and can act as a natural antidepressant in the brain,” Feit said. “If you’re moving for 30 minutes four or five times a week, there’s evidence to show that it’s going to produce a level of serotonin in the brain that mimics somewhat the effect of an antidepressant.”
Oneto touts the stress-busting and other benefits of a regular yoga practice and said a regular practice of meditation “keeps your mind clear and your mood elevated.”
Dorsey ticked off walking, yoga, stretching, bike and treadmill as helping to regulate mood and mental health.
He said consistency is another key, stressing good “sleep hygiene,” going to bed and getting up at the same time each day, as well as taking medications on a consistent daily schedule.
The therapists said planning a trip or a project can provide a “forward focus” and a sense of accomplishment when a project is completed.
Another piece of the depression and anxiety puzzle —vand an addressing of which can aid mental health — involves sexuality, said Courtney Geter, a licensed marriage and family therapist with the Atlanta Therapeutic Group.
“With older adults it’s about a change in sexual function, the loss of a partner or a partner who’s no longer coherent,” she said.
As a result, “educating about sexuality is what I do,” she said, adding the connection between sexuality and well-being is so well-established it’s been added to Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs, an iconic psychological blueprint.
Mental health experts lament that barriers remain to effective treatment and results for older adults, including “the notion that only the incredibly crazy seek out mental health care,” as Feit put it, and difficulties finding counselors and specialists who are in network for taking Medicare and Medicaid Advantage.
Such considerations aside, mental health experts advised those seeking to boost their mental health to keep trying new activities and approaches. They said if one approach isn’t working, try something else.
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