Good mental health allows the elderly to enjoy their lives better. However, mental health issues affect people as they begin to age. Take a look at these statistics. Research revealed that around 20 percent of older adults (55 years and above) experience various forms of mental wellbeing issues. These disorders include depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and memory problems. Family members of seniors must not ignore such conditions. In fact, refer them to medical professionals immediately to prevent the ailment from getting worse.
Connection Between Mental and Physical Health
Mental health directly and indirectly affects physical wellbeing of people especially elderly folks. For instance, seniors with physical ailments like heart diseases have higher depression rates compared to those without this condition. On the other hand, an older individual whose depression has not been treated and diagnosed with a heart illness can negatively impact the outcome.
This scenario underscores the importance to relax in senior age. Seniors must realize the importance of mental health to their overall wellbeing. If you’re a senior citizen, keep in mind this essential advice. What you do physically affects your mental condition. Therefore, focus both on your mental and physical health. Doing this can help you attain overall wellness. If you’re sick, it may hasten complete recovery.
In addition, a healthy lifestyle contributes to the prevention of mental health issues. The neglect of your mental wellbeing can produce severe health complications like the following:
- Heart or cardiovascular ailments
- High blood pressure
- Asthma
- Weak immune system
- Obesity
- Eating and digestion problems
- Early death
To summarize, you must understand the relationship between mental and physical health. Otherwise, failure to do so can bring more problems as you grow older.
How Seniors can have Good Mental Health?
Your next step would be to achieve good mental health. You can do so through treatment and care that deal with mental health needs of elderly persons. Older people can improve their mental health by means of “active and healthy aging.” What does this mean? The practice calls for establishing living conditions that support the wellbeing of seniors. It allows you to live wholesome lives. Furthermore, the promotion of mental health will largely depend on strategies ensuring older persons have unhampered access to resources for meeting their needs. These include freedom and security, adequate housing, social support for seniors and caregivers, health and social programs, and community-developed activities.
Interventions also come in handy. The elderly need timely detection and treatment of mental disorders. Medical specialists recommend both medications and psychosocial interventions. These interventions refer to approaches focusing on social and psychological factors. Said interventions seek to improve quality of life, functioning, symptoms, and social presence.
As a warning, you should be aware of the following signs of possible mental problems among elderly folks:
- Sudden change in mood and energy levels
- Change in sleeping and eating habits
- Withdrawal from social activities and friends
- Feeling of anger, confusion fear, and disappointment
- Unexplained pain and headaches
- Irritability and aggressiveness
- Turning to vices such as smoking and drinking
Equally important is mental health care in your community. Positive health plus social care remains essential to the promotion of seniors’ wellbeing, prevention of diseases and management of chronic illnesses. All elderly persons also require long-term care especially those who suffer from mental problems. If you think the addition of mental health furniture could be useful for your home or healthcare setting, check out Knightsbridge Furniture’s range here.
Benefits of Good Mental Health
To get the benefits or advantages of mental health, you need to concentrate on relevant practices. Yet, all these will not happen overnight. First, you should concentrate and consistently practice daily interventions. It will guide you in understanding the benefits. At the same time, avoid being stressed. Stress only results in diminished concentration, confusion, poor memory, irritability, and anger. Anxiety and pressure are not good for your brain. Fortunately, enriched mental practices can help reduce the risks. Some other benefits of positive mental health are the following:
- Reduction of pressures
- Improved moods
- Sense of calmness or inner peace
- More self-confidence
- Clarity of thinking
- Improved personal relationships
Counseling also has several benefits which include improvement of communications and interpersonal abilities, enhanced self-expression, and coping with other mental difficulties.
The families of seniors must help them develop practical skills in coping with mental health problems. Don’t forget this saying. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Get Help Immediately
Act right away in case you experience any symptoms of mental health conditions. Get in touch with a doctor who can help you. Eat healthy food, sleep early and avoid vices. Likewise, engage in moderate exercise. These will help promote one’s mental wellbeing. In certain cases, you should seek counseling and medications. Medical practitioners such as those found in senior care Brooklyn will help you know the right approach.