Can Technology Improve the Mental Health of Older Adults?
As we age, many circumstances can contribute to declining mental health. Medical conditions, medications, psychological experiences like grief, and social stressors, including isolation, often play a role. Cognitive decline, frailty, and fall risk are among the unique risk factors for mental health issues that can emerge later in life.
Many older adults cope well with these stressors; others, however, may develop mental health challenges.
According to the?World Health Organization :
These statistics show that mental health conditions are common among older people, and as the world’s population ages, these conditions will become more common.
Technology can help lessen many risk factors associated with aging, particularly with mental health. It’s important to make sure older adults have access to technology that may help them stay more connected and engaged.
Though technology can be helpful, there is often a learning curve associated with it. So how can we support loved ones and help senior adults learn to access and use new tools to manage their mental health and well-being?
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Factors of Aging That Impact Mental Health
While mental health is important in every stage of life, it’s especially important in aging populations. When talking about mental health in older people, we need to remember that it doesn’t just include diagnosed conditions—it encompasses psychological, social, and emotional well-being.
Below, we’ve highlighted several common life changes associated with aging that can negatively impact mental health.
Decline in Functional Ability
Older adults may experience changes in their functional ability, such as vision loss and reduced mobility. For example, many older people have decreased night vision. As a result, they may lose their?driver’s license —but just as importantly, they may lose their sense of independence.
Functional issues, such as arthritis and chronic pain, can lead to reduced mobility. Individuals can find it challenging to cope with these new limitations, and this may trigger or contribute to depression.
Increases in Negative Life Events
Senior adults experience more negative life events as they age. For example, many people develop strong relationships with people their own age, but as they grow older, they lose more peers.
Bereavement is hard at any age—and as people grow older, they tend to experience more loss. For many, it can feel like the grief is unrelenting.
It’s important that older adults have resources to help them better manage significant losses of family members and friends—or even loss of their own health and independence. With these resources, grief and coping can be healthy, instead of all-consuming.
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A Drop in Socioeconomic Status
Some elder adults may experience a drop in socioeconomic status when they retire. Although they may have worked hard to save for this life stage, they may not have enough money to support themselves.
Many have a hard time figuring out how to budget on a fixed income. Increased medical expenses with a change in health care coverage due to retirement can also create financial hardship.
Financial stress ?can be a significant trigger or contributor to mental health issues. Some older people may be able to rely on family members to support them, but not all people with financial concerns have this luxury—and this can lead to increases in stress and anxiety.
Increased Risk of Loneliness
Loneliness ?is a well-known risk factor for declines in mental health. Loneliness has been linked to depression, anxiety, and substance use, among other conditions.
It is important to distinguish loneliness from isolation. Loneliness is the experience of feeling distanced or cut off. Isolation refers to actual reduction of a person’s social connections, contacts, or activities.
It is critical for older adults to foster strong social relationships to avoid becoming lonely, isolated, or both.
The Potential for Elder Abuse
Because older adults experience physical and cognitive decline as they age, they are a vulnerable population. They are more likely to experience abuse, and they are more likely to develop mental health issues as a result. It has been shown that abuse can—and often does—lead to symptoms related to conditions like depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and eating disorders.
According to the National Council on Aging,?10% of individuals in the United States over the age of 60 ?have experienced some form of elder abuse, including:
It’s important to understand the unique factors that can contribute to a decline in the mental health of geriatric adults, and that many more issues can arise in aging populations beyond the ones we’ve emphasized here.
Article Original Link:?https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/technology-older-adult-mental-health
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1 年Mental health awareness. Thanks for sharing Abbe Borg . Nowadays, a large proportion of elderly people utilize technology to make their lives easier, maintain social networks, and reduce stress, all of which contribute significantly to their mental health. #SilverSnipers?#DieHardBirdie?#AbbeBorg?#Esports?#Game?#VideoGame?#VideoGammers?#healthcare #mentalawareness