Depression does not exempt senior persons. Your aging parent can acquire it in these sensitive years of their life. Thankfully, there are already available treatments for this mental illness. But what if your loved one doesn’t want to be treated? As their immediate family member, you have the vital role of ensuring that they can be treated.
But actually, there are hindrances for depression treatments. As a provider of non-medical home care in San Jose, California, let us share with you this information so you can be prepared of what you will do.
- Stigma
The prevailing stigma that depression is an abnormal and shameful condition still remains today. When your loved one or your family has this stigma, you might not be able to spot the signs of depression. As a result, you might not look for treatments, and thereby risk your loved one to more serious consequences. - Normal reaction
Along with the stigma is the thought that long periods of sadness and isolation are just a normal reaction to a senior person’s age. You have to be able to know when is it still normal for them to be sad or to isolate themselves from others. Maintaining this mindset can keep you from recommending them to expert help. - Physical complaint
When depression affects a person, physical symptoms may occur. When these happen, your senior loved one may think it’s just a sickness with no help. As a result, they may not go for any treatment at all. Ensure that you can’t mistake their physical complaints with depression. - Non-medication
If your senior loved one has agreed to undergo treatment for depression, their healthcare specialist may recommend some medications. When they fail to take these on time, due to age-related forgetfulness or any other reason, depression can be worsened. You have to ensure their medications are taken on time. - Substance abuse
If your senior loved one is into alcoholism or substance abuse, the effectiveness of their medications could be affected. Some anti-depressants have negative reactions to alcohol and other drugs.
With our services at Boundless Care, Inc., assisting seniors with depression issues is our area of care. You can trust us to extend the quality level of service to your senior loved one no matter their physical or mental condition. In fact, we can even keep them company to their doctor’s appointments as we also offer non-emergency transportation. In making these trips to the doctor, their fear of safety can be comforted by a trusted transportation service.
When depression affects your senior loved one, the most ideal person to comfort them is you. We only come secondary, but we will give you the utmost care your loved one needs so their depression can’t be triggered by other grooming or chore issues. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us when you look for our services.
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