The Holiday Blues

While the holiday can be the most joyous time of the year, it is not necessarily so for everyone.  Holidays can be very difficult on some, especially our elderly loved ones.

Depression severely affects people’s wellbeing, but the risks involved for the elderly can be far greater. It’s very important to look for warning signs of depression early on so that your loved one can get the necessary help as soon as possible. Since you know your loved one better than anyone, the changes that you see can really help to implement the most helpful course of action.

Be sure to look out for these signs of depression:

Reclusiveness

Does your loved one avoid social interaction more than usual? Does he or she seem to want to visit less with you or other family and friends? Keep an eye out for this, because those with depression tend to keep to themselves.

Poor Appearance

Has your loved one recently begun to neglect looking his or her best? Maybe your father started to leave his hair a mess or your mother doesn’t give the same amount of attention to her makeup. When people don’t care about their appearance, this is a clear warning that their sense of self-worth could be plummeting.

Pain, Discomfort and other Physical Signs

While it is true that depression deals with psychological issues, these burdens on the mind can stem out into physical manifestations. If your loved one complains more about pain, or seems to experience pain to a greater extent, this could come from depression.

Distinct Change in Mood

Though you might think that it’s obvious for depression to cause mood changes, you might not expect certain emotions to occur. While sadness might come to mind, depression often causes frustration on the surface. So, try to compare your loved one’s irritability. The more easily frustrated, the more likely it is that the issues run deeper than whatever the current problem might be.

This holiday season we hope you can eat, drink, and be merry! Just make sure to keep an eye out for your loved ones! Spotting depression early can help save them a lot of unease and pain!

Happy Holidays from our Tennyson Family to yours!!