Try: Depression in the elderly is a widespread problem but is not often recognized or treated according to the national institutes of health nih a number of life changes can increase the risk for depression or make existing depression worse caring for a spouse or family member also can add to those feelings of depression other changes and life events adapting to a move from home to an apartment or retirement facility chronic pain feelings of isolation or loneliness as children move away and their spouse and close friends die loss of independence problems getting around caring for themselves or driving multiple illnesses struggles with memory loss and problems thinking clearly signs of senior depression being more confused or forgetful eating less the refrigerator may be empty or contain spoiled food not bathing or shaving as often visitors may notice smells of urine or stool clothes may be dirty and wrinkled not taking care of the home stopping medicines or not taking them correctly withdrawing from others not talking as much and not answering the phone or returning phone calls information references "senior depression " by national institutes of health 2011 available at www nlm nih gov

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Emotional Psychological, Maintenance, Medical Physical, Personal, Social, Cognitive Awareness, Somewhat Aware, Long-Term Memory, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, Short-Term Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory

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Keywords: Depression life changes loss of spouse moving confused not bathing loss of appetite not eating well withdrawing from family isolation isolating

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Informati regular exercise has shown to help with sleep issues in a Care recipient (cr) if the cr is able there are countless activities she can do to increase strength improve aerobic capacity burn calories and become ready for a good night’s sleep the following are exercises to improve sleep quality swim water exercises – swimming laps is a gentle way to build up fitness and is great for sore joints or weak muscles many community and ymca pools have swim programs just for older crs as well as water-based exercise classes dance – if the cr likes music she may be open to dancing or taking a dance class walk with friends the more the cr walks and the brisker the pace the more aerobic benefit exercise golf – golf is a form of exercise that requires precise strong movement of particular parts of the body but which doesn’t require vigorous movement walking can be an added aerobic bonus to golfing golf is popular among many older crs cycle or jog – if the cr is still in good shape she can jog and bicycle until late in life both can be done outdoors or on a stationary bike or treadmill always have the cr consult her doctor before embarking on any new fitness program on references helpguide org

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Categories: Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Mobility

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Keywords: Exercise work out health

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: The following are the most common causes of insomnia in older care recipients cr poor sleep habits and sleep environment examples of poor sleep habits are irregular sleep hours consumption of alcohol before bedtime and falling asleep with the tv on pain or medical illness pain can keep the cr from sleeping well in addition many health conditions such as a frequent need to urinate arthritis menopause and alzheimer alzheimer’s can interfere with sleep medications older crs tend to take more medications than younger people combinations of drugs as well as the side-effects of individual drugs can impair sleep or even stimulate wakefulness lack of exercise if the cr is sedentary he may not feel sleepy or feel sleepy all of the time regular aerobic exercise during the day at least 3 hours before bedtime can promote good sleep in a cr who is able to exercise psychological stress or psychological disorders significant life changes like the death of a loved one or moving from a family home can cause stress in a cr sleep disorders restless legs syndrome rls and sleep-disordered breathing such as snoring and sleep apnea occur more frequently in older adults note if the cr exhibits symptoms of insomnia consult a physician information references helpguide org

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Categories: Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Sleep insomnia

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Many Care recipient (cr) sleep problems are caused by underlying but very treatable causes while emotional issues such as stress anxiety and depression can cause sleep disorders the most common causes in crs are a poor sleep environment or poor sleep habits try to identify all possible causes of the sleep problems once the cause is determined it is easier to attempt solutions the following are questions to help identify underlying causes of sleep problems are you under a lot of stress are you depressed do you feel emotionally flat or hopeless do you struggle with chronic feelings of anxiety or worry have you recently gone through a traumatic experience are you taking any medications that might be affecting your sleep do you have any health problems that may be interfering with sleep information references helpguide org

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Categories: Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Sleep anxiety rest

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: As the Care recipient (cr) gets older driving habits and abilities can change for the cr’s safety it is important to pay attention to any warning signs that age is interfering with driving safety and make appropriate adjustments remind the cr that even if he eventually needs to reduce driving or eventually give up the keys it doesn’t mean he is giving up independence as people age factors such as decreased vision impaired hearing or slowed motor reflexes may become a problem aging tends to result in a reduction of strength coordination and flexibility which can have a major impact on the ability to safely control a car for example pain or stiffness in the neck can make it harder to look over the shoulder to change lanes or look left and right at intersections to check for other traffic or pedestrians leg pain can make it difficult to move a foot from the gas to the brake pedal diminished arm strength can make it hard to turn the steering wheel as reaction times also slow down with age the cr may be slower to spot vehicles emerging from side streets and driveways keeping track of so many road signs signals and markings as well as all the other traffic and pedestrians can also become more difficult as the cr loses the ability to effectively divide his attention attention between multiple activities information references helpguide org

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Categories: Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Driving car transportation

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: The spouse partner of a person with alzheimer’s disease ad may lose interest in having sex this change can make you feel lonely or frustrated here are some possible reasons for changes in sexual interest the spouse partner may feel that it it’s not okay to have sex with someone who has ad the person with ad seems like a stranger the person with ad seems to forget that the spouse partner is there or how to make love a person with ad may have side effects from medications that affect his or her sexual interest memory loss changes in the brain or depression that affects his or her interest in sex information references "caring for a person with alzheimer’s disease your easy-to-use guide from the national institute on aging" by national institute on aging 2011 available at www nia nih gov

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Sexuality Intimacy, Social, Gender, Male, Female, Cognitive Awareness, Somewhat Aware, Unaware, Long-Term Memory, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, Short-Term Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory

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Keywords: Sex sexuality intimacy relationships marriage communication memory loss cognitive impairment

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Intimacy is the special bond we share with a person we love and respect it involves the way we talk and act toward one another this bond can exist between spouses or partners family members and friends alzheimer’s disease ad often changes the intimacy between people sexuality is one type of intimacy it is an important way that spouses or partners express their feelings physically for one another ad can cause changes in intimacy and sexuality in both the person with ad and the caregiver the person with ad may be stressed by the changes in his or her memory and behaviors fear worry depression anger and low self-esteem how much the person likes himself or herself are common the person may become dependent and cling to you he or she may not remember your life together and feelings toward one another sometimes the person may even fall in love with another person you the caregiver may pull away from the person in both an emotional and physical sense you may feel upset by the demands of caregiving you also may feel frustrated by the person person’s constant forgetfulness repeated questions and other bothersome behaviors most caregivers learn how to cope with these challenges but it takes time some learn to live with the illness and find new meaning in their relationships with people who have ad coping with changes in intimacy remember that most people with ad need to feel that someone loves and cares about them they also need to spend time with other people as well as you your efforts to take care of these needs can help the person with ad to feel happy and safe it it’s important to reassure the person that you love him or her you will keep him or her safe others also care about him or her information references "caring for a person with alzheimer’s disease your easy-to-use guide from the national institute on aging" by national institute on aging 2011 available at www nia nih gov

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Sexuality Intimacy, Social, Gender, Male, Female, Verbal Communication, So-So Verbal Comm, Poor Verbal Comm, Cognitive Awareness, Somewhat Aware, Unaware, Long-Term Memory, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, Short-Term Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory

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Keywords: Sex intimacy sexuality relationships memory loss cognitive impairment

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Exercise releases chemicals in your body that promote more restful sleep there are four main types of exercise endurance activities such as walking swimming or riding a bike increase your heart rate and breathing to improve the health of your heart and circulatory system strength exercises build muscle tissue and reduce age-related muscle loss stretching exercises keep your body limber and flexible allowing a greater range of motion in your senior years balance exercises build leg muscles to reduce the chances of a fall while seniors need some of each type of exercise studies have shown that participating in moderate endurance aerobic activity can have the greatest impact on improving sleep information references "sleeping well as you age helpful sleep tips for seniors" by lawrence robinson gina kemp and robert segal 2011 available at

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Sleep insomnia sleep disorders can’t sleep exercise

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: The most common causes of insomnia in older adults include #poor sleep habits and sleep environment examples of poor sleep habits are irregular sleep hours consumption of alcohol before bedtime and falling asleep with the tv on #pain or medical illness pain can keep you from sleeping well in addition many health conditions such as a frequent need to urinate arthritis asthma diabetes mellitus osteoporosis nighttime heartburn menopause and alzheimer alzheimer’s can interfere with sleep #medications seniors tend to take more medications than younger people combinations of drugs as well as the side-effects of individual drugs can impair sleep or even stimulate wakefulness #lack of exercise if you are too sedentary you may not feel sleepy or feel sleepy all of the time regular aerobic exercise during the day at least 3 hours before bedtime can promote good sleep #psychological stress or psychological disorders significant life changes like the death of a loved one or moving from a family home can cause stress anxiety or sadness can also keep you awake which can in turn cause more anxiety or depression #sleep disorders restless legs syndrome rls and sleep-disordered breathing such as snoring and sleep apnea occur more frequently in older adults #learned response people with a legitimate cause for having trouble sleeping, after suffering a loss for example, may lie in bed and try to force themselves to sleep eventually their bodies learn not to sleep even after your original reason for sleep disruption has passed the learned response of not sleeping can remain information references "sleeping well as you age helpful sleep tips for seniors" by lawrence robinson gina kemp and robert segal 2011 available at

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Sleep insomnia sleep disorders exercise stress can’t sleep

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Elder neglect failure to fulfill a caretaking obligation constitutes more than half of all reported cases of elder abuse it can be active intentional or passive unintentional based on factors such as ignorance or denial that an elderly charge needs as much care as he or she does signs of neglect by caregivers or self-neglect unusual weight loss malnutrition dehydration untreated physical problems such as bed sores unsanitary living conditions dirt bugs soiled bedding and clothes being left dirty or unbathed unsuitable clothing or covering for the weather unsafe living conditions no heat or running water; faulty electrical wiring other fire hazards desertion of the elder at a public place information references "elder abuse and neglect warning signs risk factors prevention and help" by laurence robinson tina de benedictis and jeanne segal 2011 available at

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Emotional Psychological, Legal, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Elder abuse neglect caregiver weight loss malnutrition dehydration dirty clothing alone unattended

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed