Solitary Confinement — for Life!

Sixty-five year old Arthur Jones served a self-imposed life sentence – in his own home.

Arthur lived in a high crime neighborhood, so he built iron cages around his outside doors and installed bars on the windows.Nobody could find it easy to break into the house of Arthur’s!

I met Arthur a few years ago, although you would hardly call our interaction meeting. When I arrived to deliver his meal, as part of the meals-on-Wheels program, Arthur barely cracked open his front door, even though his cage clearly protected him. He refused to open the cage door at all, even to him his meal, I had the corner of the box through the bars. Without doubt, this maneuver scrambled the hot contents of his boxed meal, but Arthur would have no other way. He clearly feared me, a 100-pound woman, and everyone else.

I wish I could say that Arthur’s family came to his aid, finding him the medical and emotional treatment he needed. I can not. Arthur’s depression and paranoia compounded relentlessly, killing him at far too young.

Many older people live like Arthur, holed up in their own homes, barricaded against the world. Who cares? Family and friends should care, and they have the primary responsibility, acting in their earlier state rivals that of Arthur. We can not shift this burden to our government. We can not wish it away. Those of us lucky elders in our lives have the responsibility to see that they do not succumb to depression shoulder.

At this holiday season, many elders experience transitory depression, as celebrations bring memories of friends and loved ones who are deceased. Reduced hours of sunshine may add to their depression. How do you know if your elder suffers from serious depression? And, if you suspect depression, what to do?Here are a few tips.

What signs should lead you to suspect serious depression?

Lethargy and / or refusal to get out of bed; changes in sleep patterns such as sleeping all morning Special Complaints memory and loss of ability Frequent sighs concentrating or cry as unusual for the patient Feeling fear and loneliness , thoughts of death Refusal to eat for prescription drugs thoughts or talk of suicide to take (remember, the idea that suicide is not their plans signal a myth!) Significant changes in personality Irritability

What can you do?

A few simple steps can improve their condition rapidly:

call more often than usual. Take your oldest for trips away from the house. Schedule a medical appointment to confirm or deny your suspicions, and one for your elder to that appointment. Depression often accompanies the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Check bottles to make sure that your elder is actually taking prescribed medications at recommended doses. Too many or too few pills in the bottle can alert you to problems. If you find evidence that the drugs not be taken as directed, soft probe to see if you can learn why. Take the oldest in the parties and holiday festivities, but keep the duration of their participation at a level they can easily handle.Drop more than usual on homebound elders.

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