"Tips on Helping Seniors Beat the Holiday Blues" By Janet Pincu, MSW, LCSW, LNHA, Senior Director of Client Services at Freedom Home Healthcare

Rosa was one of those unforgettable clients we are often blessed to meet during our careers.  She lived in an Assisted Living facility having moved to be closer to her family after being widowed.  She was visited often by devoted daughters and by a gang of attentive grandchildren.

Ohhhh, could she tell a story!  Her life with her husband, a renowned sculptor and artist, was an adventure with far-flung travels while hobnobbing with world dignitaries and other famous artists.  However, she was never a “happy” lady as she suffered from underlying depression most of her life. 

On 9/11 Rosa lost her favorite grandson when the towers fell.  This and the loss of her spouse, home and familiar routines exacerbated her depression.  The following Holiday she exhibited even more hopelessness and eventually the loss of her will to live. 

Rosa died the following Spring.  For Rosa that Holiday season had stood as a reminder of the losses and the changes that had come with life’s transitions. 

The Holidays – a time of joy and of celebration.  But it is also the season that can trigger sadness, despondency and loneliness in many, particularly our elderly.  Often isolated by distance from remaining loved ones and unable to travel due to declining health it can be a time when all the happiness of the season is absent.  Cumulative losses mark the lives of all as we age.  With the death of spouses, of family members and of friends, poor health, and shrinking finances seniors will feel these absences most acutely during the Holidays.  Some will deny any of these feelings so as not to concern their family or friends.

So what can we do to assist those that are at risk at this time of year?  Here are some tips:

1. Offer to take your loved one ones out of the house - to the mall, to a movie, to a family gathering.  Prevent isolation especially during the Holidays.
2. Encourage an older adult to talk - help them share feelings around recent or past losses.
3. Encourage an older adult to volunteer with a soup kitchen, church group or other organization. 
4. Ensure that the older person is not abusing alcohol.  We know that drinking too much can negatively impact a person’s mood.
5. Ask to hear the stories – help to create the legacies to be passed down.
6. It’s OK to feel sad- However, when someone’s mood continues to be sad, observe for symptoms of depression – loss of sleep, weight, appetite, fallings of worthlessness or guilt, fatigue, loss of interest, thoughts of suicide.

Keep an eye on your families; be alert to any changes or to a change in mood during the Holidays.

Old age does not have to be time of sadness and depression is not a normal part of aging.