The holidays are approaching and they are usually a great time to gather with family and friends and celebrate. However, the joy of the season is not what our aging parents always feel around the holidays. Oftentimes, as parents age, they remember the lost loved ones that will not be at their holiday celebrations anymore.  When others are in full swing of merriment and cheer, older adults sometimes feel alone and sad. So is this normal, or are they experiencing signs of depression?

How do you recognize the signs that your aging parents are experiencing depression and not just going through the normal process of aging? For some older adults, the symptoms of depression are not so noticeable and more than just feelings of sadness.

6 Common Signs of Depression in Older Adults

1. Difficulty carrying out their daily routine or tasks for an extended period of time. If it is difficult to get up, get dressed, get breakfast and move about for weeks on end, that is not a good sign. It typically means there is more than sadness or illness going on. It is a good time to talk to your parents about what is happening in their life and try to help them. This may mean talking to a medical professional on mental health and depression to help fight the symptoms of depression.
2. Loss of interest in pleasurable activities and mood seems sad or angry. If your parent used to love to gather with friends and play cards, or really liked taking walks around the neighborhood, and now those enjoyable activities seem like a chore or not fun, it could be a sign that things are not happy and fine. It might be time to look at why your mom, who used to love visiting with friends at lunch, now gets mad or sad when the idea of going somewhere comes up. This could be a sign your mom is not in a good place and maybe needs to talk about mental health care. Remember positive mental health helps aging healthy and happy.
3. Heavy use of alcohol or drugs. Any time someone is dependent on substances, it usually is a sign of depression or anxiety and that something is terribly wrong. Drug and alcohol abuse is not just a youth problem, it is a problem among aging adults as well. If your mom or dad might have a substance abuse problem, get them help and try to be supportive to find out why they were sad and turned to substance to ease their sadness or pain.
4. Quick to anger or lash out at others. Typically being angry all the time and purposely being mean to others is a sign something is just not going well, and that someone is upset or sad about something much bigger than the holidays. It is time to talk and figure out why they are so upset so you both can work through it.
5. Increase stress or obsession about minor issues. If a loved one is making “mountains out of molehills” all the time, something is clearly up. Getting upset and not being happy about every little thing, tends to wear thin and also it is a sign of unhappiness. You can step in and get your mom or dad to talk to someone about it or maybe they will talk to you. Depression works in mysterious ways and sometimes having a fit about everything is a big sign.
6. Cannot sleep or sleep all the time. One of the biggest signs of depression is constantly being tired and wanting to sleep to avoid dealing with the day and/or people around. Another sign is the opposite, when you cannot sleep and you worry and stew about things. Finding joy to get the day rolling and having a purpose is important for our aging parents to stay mentally healthy.

These are just some of the common signs of depression in older adults. You can take a mental health screen to see how your mind is working. It will help you determine if you possibly have depression, anxiety, or other mental health concerns that may need to be addressed. Make sure to not let the holidays get your aging loved ones down and miss out on the excitement of the season. Call Ann at Senior Living Options for more tips on helping your aging parents age gracefully. Ann spends time helping seniors find resources to guide them through the aging process.

Author: Ann Jamison

Ann Jamison is an experienced senior advisor who has successfully worked with hundreds of families to help them find the best care and home-like environment for themselves or their loved ones. Prior to launching Senior Living Options, Ann was an eldercare advisor for a national placement agency and served as sales director at a senior living community. Thanks to her 25-year career in advertising sales and marketing, Ann is able to discern between hype and reality for her clients. Ann recognizes that there are objective factors that need to be weighed when making a life-changing decision, but she can also assess the important softer attributes by getting to know her clients and by using the gut instincts that can only come through extended experience.