Critical Thinking
According to Blazer (2009), “Depression is common in late life, affecting nearly 5 million of the 31 million Americans aged 65 and older with clinically significant depressive symptoms reaching 13% in older adults aged 80 and older" (As cited in Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing). Depression is often left untreated and undiagnosed in most patients. Most people consider depression as a normal part of growing old, which is totally false. Older adults should not be depressed, and if they are they require immediate care to get rid of the disease. Additionally, Alzheimer’s is a growing problem that commonly seen among elderly patients. Taking care of patients with dementia can be a real challenge. This paper will develop some facts about depression and dementia.
The Geriatric Depression Scale.
The Geriatric Depression Scale is often used to detect depression in older adults. The GDS was put in place by Yesavage …show more content…
It is recorded that “less than 1% to about 5%” is the depression rate of patients that live in their house and are still able to do their daily activity. Unfortunately, patients living in nursing homes or disable tend to have a higher risk of being depressed.
How is depression different in older adults than in a younger adult?
Depression is different in older adults than in younger adults mostly because it is often undetected in older adults. Older adults tend to have many physical and mental changes, many of them have to deal with a lot of chronic illnesses. Healthcare providers tend to attribute their decrease in energy and bad mood to the fact that they are sick and fail to recognize the symptoms of depression. Another reason why depression in older adults is different than in younger adults is that elderly patients fail to seek treatment ().
What could you accurately tell a family when asked if depression in older adults is
According to Blazer (2009), “Depression is common in late life, affecting nearly 5 million of the 31 million Americans aged 65 and older with clinically significant depressive symptoms reaching 13% in older adults aged 80 and older" (As cited in Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing). Depression is often left untreated and undiagnosed in most patients. Most people consider depression as a normal part of growing old, which is totally false. Older adults should not be depressed, and if they are they require immediate care to get rid of the disease. Additionally, Alzheimer’s is a growing problem that commonly seen among elderly patients. Taking care of patients with dementia can be a real challenge. This paper will develop some facts about depression and dementia.
The Geriatric Depression Scale.
The Geriatric Depression Scale is often used to detect depression in older adults. The GDS was put in place by Yesavage …show more content…
It is recorded that “less than 1% to about 5%” is the depression rate of patients that live in their house and are still able to do their daily activity. Unfortunately, patients living in nursing homes or disable tend to have a higher risk of being depressed.
How is depression different in older adults than in a younger adult?
Depression is different in older adults than in younger adults mostly because it is often undetected in older adults. Older adults tend to have many physical and mental changes, many of them have to deal with a lot of chronic illnesses. Healthcare providers tend to attribute their decrease in energy and bad mood to the fact that they are sick and fail to recognize the symptoms of depression. Another reason why depression in older adults is different than in younger adults is that elderly patients fail to seek treatment ().
What could you accurately tell a family when asked if depression in older adults is