Is Your Senior Dealing with Anxiety?

By Jamie Shapiro | February 4, 2021 | Comments Off on Is Your Senior Dealing with Anxiety?

Your senior might be experiencing anxiety for a lot of reasons, ranging from feeling uncomfortable with her health to the totality of her life experiences adding up. The good news is that anxiety can be managed, but first your elderly family member needs to get to the bottom of what’s causing the problem and try a few solutions to see what helps her the most. 

Medication Side Effects Can Be at Fault

Elder Care Highland Park, IL: Seniors and Anxiety

Medication can be a huge driver of anxiety and anxious feelings. Side effects from multiple medications can collide, making the effects even larger. Your elderly family member may also be anxious about the fact that she’s taking medications at all. It’s worth talking to your senior’s doctor and periodically getting a medication review. This can help your senior to find the cause and to put a solution into place. 

Health Issues Like Chronic Pain Make Anxiety Worse 

Your senior’s medications are only part of the story, though. Her existing health issues, like chronic pain, can be a huge factor in anxiety. Your elderly family member may worry that she’ll never get better or that her concerns won’t be taken seriously when it matters most. Health-related anxiety is especially worrisome because it can affect her ability to maintain the health that she does have. 

Symptoms to Watch for in Your Senior 

Your senior may have a wide range of symptoms related to anxiety. These can include having trouble sleeping or eating, being unable to enjoy activities that she usually loves, and trouble concentrating. She may also be jumpy and unable to sit still. Talk to your aging family member about what is happening and what she’s feeling. 

Talk to Her Doctor about What She’s Experiencing 

One of the things your senior needs to do is to talk to her doctor about what is happening for her. Often older adults are wary of doing this, because it doesn’t seem like a serious concern or because they worry, they won’t be taken seriously. But knowing that she’s experiencing anxiety can help her doctor to look more closely at a variety of causes and find a solution that helps her. 

Having some extra assistance might help your elderly family member to deal with the anxiety that she’s feeling. Elder care providers are well-versed in helping aging adults to find solutions to situations that are causing them to have trouble with daily life. 

 

If you or an aging loved one are considering Elder Care in Highland Park, IL, contact the caring staff at Companion Services of America today at (847) 943-3786. Our home care service area includes Northbrook, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Des Plaines, Skokie, Lake Forest, Wilmette and the surrounding areas. 

Jamie Shapiro
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