People who have had COVID-19 may have an increased risk of being diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder such as anxiety or depression. Researchers looked at the medical records of 69 million people in the United States between January 20 and August 1, 2020. The data included 62,000 people who contracted COVID-19 as part of what the authors described as the …
Can you believe that 1 in 3 respondents age 65+ think they can just “snap out of it” when asked about their symptoms of depression? A new nationwide poll, the GeneSight Mental Health Monitor, shows that nearly two-thirds (61%) of Americans age 65 or older who have concerns about having depression will not seek treatment! “The ‘pull yourself up by …
Depression challenges many of our residents and sometimes it just doesn’t seem to matter how many times we adjust medications, add medications and discontinue medications; we still struggle to find that happy place for them. However, there is some good news coming from Stanford Medicine where researchers used electroencephalography (EEG) and an algorithm to identify a brain-wave signature in individuals …
Have you ever wanted to go out shopping or visiting somewhere and couldn’t for some reason? Think about the feelings that accompanied that – upset, angry, sad, frustrated, depressed. During our social distancing requirements during the COVID-19 outbreak, our residents feel this now more than ever! Research has shown that if we offer structure and various activities, moods will increase; …
Depression has long been known to cause negative outcomes for our seniors and many suffer in silence, never seeking the support and assistance they need. As caregivers we often identify depression in our residents; however, many families will deny it is an issue and refuse psychiatric evaluations. Sure, depression is a mental illness however it is one of the most …
On Lok, a San Francisco based comprehensive long-term health program for frail adults 55 and older, has been employing Spirituality and Aging Groups since 2013. The primary goal of these groups is to reduce depressive symptoms and increase overall quality of life for older individuals. The groups originated from a partnership between the in-house mental health team and the chaplaincy …
