Everybody battles with not-so-happy emotions occasionally, even your senior. But recognizing the difference between your senior being sad and something else is what’s important. Here are some of the things you need to keep in mind.
Rule out Depression or SAD
Being sad once in a while is actually quite normal. Sometimes people miss the way things were or miss specific people or activities and it makes them sad. There’s a difference between sadness and depression or even seasonal affective disorder. Both of these are more complicated and require different types of treatments.
Double Check Other Health Issues
While you’re talking to your senior’s doctor about the possibility of SAD or depression, make sure that you address other health issues, too. Sometimes medications can cause side effects that contribute to depression, but health conditions can also contribute. Your senior’s doctor can help you to determine if this is a situation where other solutions are a good idea.
Incorporate Activities Your Senior Enjoys in Her Daily Routine
If your aging family member hasn’t been engaging in activities that she enjoys, that can cause her to feel a little less joy in her life. Sit down together and make a list of the things that she loves to do. Figure out how you can help her to incorporate more of those activities into every day. Sometimes even rearranging her day can help.
Help Her to Embrace Positivity
Finding ways to embrace a more positive attitude can be important for your senior and for you. Look at things like journaling and tracking gratitude. These might even be some things that you and your senior try together. They can help you to stay connected with each other, which is another way that you can help your senior to kick a bout of sadness.
Find Other Solutions that Might Help
There may be other factors, too. As your senior ages, some aspects of life become more difficult. It could be possible that having help from elder care providers enables your senior to let some of that sadness go. They can assist her with all sorts of tasks that need to get done while also offering friendly companionship on a daily basis.
Just being sad isn’t necessarily something for you to be really worried about. But if your aging family member doesn’t seem to be anything but sad lately, that might be more cause for concern.
If you or an aging loved one is considering elder care in Coon Rapids, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.
