Physical and Emotional Health for the Holidays

Physical and Emotional Health for the Holidays

The holidays are a time of year when manyfamilies visit their aging loved ones, oftenseeing them face-to-face for the first timemonths, perhaps an entire year.That’s why experts advise families to carefully watch for signs of possible depression or medical issues in older adults during holiday visits, be prepared with an arsenal of spirit-lifting activities and develop a plan of action before heading home.

According to BrightStar Care, A full-service home care agency that provides both medical and non-medical care to patients from infants to elders, 15 of every 100 adults over the age of 65 are affected by depression.

For many families that are geographically separated from their aging loved ones, the holidays may provide a rare opportunity to look for potential warning signs of depression, or other medical issues.

Although the holiday season is a typically a time of celebration and joy, this time of year can create a sense of nostalgia and melancholy amongst the senior population,”

says Sharon Roth Maguire, Chief Clinical Officer of BrightStar Care. “Family visits are a prime opportunity to not only observe for

warning signs, but also provide much-neededcompanionship, mental stimulation and general uplifting

activities. In many cases, these visits can be lifesaving.

Roth Maguire encourages family members to look for the following signs when visiting their loved ones..

Physical SignsTake note of changes in sleeping and eating habits, including reduced appetite and difficulty sleeping. Accidents around the home, including dizziness or falling could also indicate a physical condition or side effects of improperly mixing medications/taking the wrong doses.

AppearanceNot shaving, not doing hair or makeup and neglected hygiene can signal the inability to physically care for themselves on their own, or a loss of interest in appearance. Either may indicate depression, or a wide range of undiagnosed conditions that require professional attention.

Emotional SignsSeniors are especially susceptible to feelings of isolation and depression because of health, financial issues or the loss of a spouse or other loved ones, especially during the holiday season. As families gather together, pay close attention to see if your aging loved one seems disinterested in group conversations and appears dazed or lackluster.

Environmental SignsLook for an abnormally messy or cluttered home, piles of laundry or unpaid bills or rotting food in the refrigerator. Any of these things are a sign that the older adult may no longer be able to perform these household tasks on their own, requiring an outside caregiver to help.

The holidays and winter are also an important time for senior flu prevention, as this time marks the start of flu season. When it comes to infection prevention overall, seniors aged 65 and over are an important and often more vulnerable segment of the population.

According to the Center for Disease Control, this is because human immune defenses become weaker with age, making influenza and other infections very serious for the elderly population.

In fact, more than 60 percent of seasonal flu-related hospitalizations in the United States each year occur in people 65 years and older.

BrightStar Care’s “Healthy for the Holidays” program aims to promote whole-person wellness by focusing on physical as well as emotional health and, specifically, flu prevention and providing additional support to seniors who may have the “holiday blues.”

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