The Role Of Promoting Healthy Aging: Depression In Older Adults

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Promoting Healthy Aging: Depression in Older Adults Depression is a serious mental health problem which affects many areas of a person's health including social, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. It affects people of all ages and backgrounds and greatly diminishes their quality of life when health care is not sought. Depression can lead to lowered, depressed moods, social isolation and a loss of enjoyment in activities the sufferer usually enjoys, among many other negative symptoms (Canadian Mental Health Association, 2013). In particular, with 15% to 20% of older adults experiencing it in Canada, the Canadian elderly population is vulnerable to its' effects because mental health has many social stigmas which may prevent people from seeking …show more content…

384). The elderly may not seek help because they may worry about how they will be perceived or about losing their independence, or they may not see it as a "real" problem that needs to be dealt with. There are many reasons the Canadian elderly population may not seek help and those reasons are barriers which nurses must be able to overcome so that health care can progress. The purpose of this paper is to inform the reader of how nurses can help promote healthy aging in Canada's elderly population in regard to older people suffering from depression. If such a destructive disorder is not dealt with, the person's health will be diminished regardless of how their health is improved in other areas by nursing interventions. Therefore, it is important that nurses can assist patients in dealing with depression so that health is improved holistically. There are many evidence-based interventions nurses can use to alleviate