How to Take Care of Mental Health in Old Age?

The conversation regularly touched on themes related to children’s, teenagers’, and adults’ mental health. However, have you ever considered the state of older adults who are above 60? This generation has put up a lot of effort, made many sacrifices, and overcome many obstacles to advance India’s economic development. These generations have put forth a lot of effort to ensure the happiness of their families. Never taking time to unwind to generate money. They always want their kids to do well and see the world. Even though we live in a time where technology connects us to everyone. Strangely the same technology also keeps us apart. This is what causes older adults who live lonesome lives after retirement to experience mental health problems.

When people become acclimated to a particular way of life, it can be challenging to live any other way. People who have retired experience this. They go about their business as usual, performing their tasks and interacting with their coworkers. Confusion and overwhelm result from abrupt changes in daily routine. A decrease in social ties and peer-group connections causes an increase in insecurity.

Retirement also erodes a retiree’s confidence and sense of value since society identifies it with reliance. Once upon a time, retirement was a time to relax, enjoy life, and spend time with loved ones. The retirement time, however, is not what it once was. Older people’s mental health is suffering as a result of retirement. Loneliness results from the absence of family and friends. An excessive amount of loneliness results in fear and hopelessness. We still need to monitor and talk about the mental health of elderly people, despite the fact that there is more public awareness of mental illness these days.

Older people have a lot of hurdles to overcome, which causes tension and worry because they have little to no contact with their kids while wanting to. Even if it is challenging to travel a long distance to see their children, they often may feel burdensome and in the way of their children’s lives. Despite having numerous plans, including travel, they are hesitant to interact with others for a variety of reasons. This puts even more strain on one’s mental health.

We predict that as life expectancies rise and more young people relocate outside of their hometowns, the empty house problem will get worse. We have to deal with the nation’s urgent need for social support for mental health. Along with anxiety, despair, and loneliness. WHO asserts this “Over 20% of seniors over the age of 60 suffer from mental or neurological illnesses. The challenges of deteriorating physical health and functional ability, social isolation, and diminished family and societal support make the elderly vulnerable.” One of the biggest problems elderly people deal with his loneliness, which, if left untreated, can lead to depression and dementia.

Which are typical in seniors. Due to their inability to comprehend what is occurring to them, people with dementia have even greater challenges, such as frustration or violence. As they age, even minor details are forgotten. The denial of such a problem is far more harmful than the actual mental disorder. Risk factors for mental illnesses include social stigma, cultural pressure, financial constraints, and a lack of awareness of mental health issues. Society disregards or overlooks elderly people’s mental health. We have to keep a careful eye on how their mental health is doing.

Here are a few steps that need to be taken to eradicate the stigma around mental illness in older persons.

• To combat loneliness, stay with the kids and communicate with family members.
• Both adults and children should have a conversation about mental health and foster a welcoming environment while acknowledging that this type of mental health issue is prevalent within the family.
• It is important to seek medical attention without associating it with any sort of social stigma. To build a happier atmosphere, the emphasis should be on enhancing emotional, physical, and social well-being.
• The family’s adults should always urge the parents and seniors to be socially engaged by interacting with their neighbours, family members, and friends.
• Encourage them to engage in hobbies like reading, gardening, cooking, or other activities that help to develop confidence and positivism, which prevent mental health problems.

Mental health issues can be a problem for people irrespective of their age. It can be children, adulthood, adults, and elder people. It is important to create awareness in all age groups and needs equal emotional support and attention.