The Leading Causes Of Anxiety In The Elderly Population
Later life often comes with increased experiences and wisdom, but it can also come with a lot of uncertainty, isolation and loss. For the elderly, anxiety becomes a silent part of their everyday lives but is often misunderstood or not even considered. Understanding the most common causes of anxiety in seniors is an important first step to providing support and a better quality of life.
Physical Health Changes
As we all know, with aging comes the slow physical decline we begin to experience. Often senior folks will develop long-term medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes or even chronic pain that can all create a permanent worry about their health, mobility and even their independence.
On top of just living with each condition (or multiple), there are then the frequent medical appointments you have to go to, which can easily make anyone feel a bit anxious. The constant worry over health and appointments makes it pretty understandable as to why around 10-20% of the global elderly population has anxiety in some form
The Fear Of Falling
So many of the elderly live in fear about falling because of the possible thought of lying incapacitated, unable to get up for hours (even days) without being able to get any help. There are so many stories of a senior citizen lying on the ground for long stretches of time without anyone even knowing they need help. Devices like a Life Assure emergency response system can ease those fears by notifying emergency services and family if they even happen to have an accident, like a fall. It might just reduce anxiety enough to make getting around a bit more enjoyable, and it acts as a safety net in case the worst happens
Going Through Loss
You’re a lot more likely to experience loss and death later in life. It’ll also often be more likely that the deaths you experience in older age will be of people much closer to you, like siblings, friends and of course a spouse. Not only are the losses themselves devastating, but as your circle gets smaller, you might start to fear being on your own, affecting mental well-being and leading to anxiety.
Financial Concerns
An often underestimated, yet common cause of anxiety in the senior population is their finances. Often, living on fixed incomes – like pensions or savings – can make people feel very vulnerable and unprotected when there’s economic uncertainty, prices rise or have unexpected bills to pay, like health costs. It can be pretty overwhelming when you have concerns about affording everything but don’t have the ability to go out and earn anything more, especially with degrading health and it’s easy to see why it’s such a high cause of anxiety trend2wear.
Anxiety doesn’t have to be an inevitable part of aging. By recognizing the leading causes like those listed above, it means we are better able to provide meaningful support to those suffering. By identifying any possible warning signs early, it’s much easier to ease any anxiety and give seniors a greater sense of independence and improved quality of life.
