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New Research shows a “Hidden” Mental Health Crisis is Debilitating Older People

Age UK has urged older friends and relatives to ‘reach out’ for help as restrictions relax and the pandemic loosens its grip, a “hidden” mental health crisis is debilitating older people. 

As Covid-19 restrictions look set to be relaxed, Age UK’s most recent research reveals the alarming impact that the pandemic has had on older people’s mental health and confidence, hindering their return to everyday life and for many accelerating previous health conditions.

The harrowing results of the research reveal that many older people are experiencing anxiety, memory loss, low mood and depression. In some cases, older people report feeling suicidal.

Common challenges include disturbed sleep patterns and a lack of confidence and motivation to get back to doing normal everyday activities.

The results of the research show that compared to pre- pandemic:

  • 4.1 million (33%) older people say they feel more anxious.
  • 4.3 million (34%) of older people said they feel less motivated to do the things they enjoy.

Further research indicates that during the pandemic the proportion of over 70s who are depressed doubled with 1.8 million people aged 60 and over reporting moderate to severe depressive symptoms in Summer 2021.

Age UK heard heart breaking comments from older people who took part in the research such as:

“Think about death quite a lot. Life seems just a drudge. Nothing to look forward to.”

Exhaustion, depression/feeling low, brain fog. Difficult to concentrate when doing my professional job of tutoring.”

“Don’t want to live anymore…no longer seem to have any control over my life. Indoors alone for almost two years is killing me.”

Older people with depression frequently experience physical symptoms – such as tiredness, weight loss, and problems sleeping. The research found that:

  • 2.9 million (23%) of older people agreed they are finding it harder to remember things now than they did at the start of the pandemic, and
  • 4.3 million (34%) of older people disagreeing that they had been sleeping well.

 “I have difficulty remembering things e.g. names; what day it is; what I am supposed to do each day e.g. appointments (dentist); emails to answer. Feel muddle headed much of the time.”

“I now worry about things so much more than before to the point it is affecting sleeping through the night.”

Furthermore, a common theme throughout the research was the degree to which people living with dementia and cognitive impairment have seen their condition deteriorate more quickly than would have been otherwise anticipated over the last 2 years.

Tragically, the comments from the survey read:

“Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia- so that lack of physical contact and stimulation, not going out to shops etc has had a massive impact.”

“Anxiety has made husband’s Alzheimer’s worse due to fear of catching Covid. Coping with my depression/anxiety while keeping us both safe and well has been an ordeal.”

In addition, the measures taken to control Covid-19 over the last two years has had a huge impact on people’s lives, which together with the added worry of catching the virus, has left many older people feeling isolated and alone, with:

  • 5.1 million (41%) saying they felt lonely,
  • 3.4 million (27%) saying they spoke less to family.
  • 3 million (24%) feeling less close to family.

Caroline Abrahams, Age UK’s Charity Director, says: “It is important that all older people know they do not have to cope alone. I really would encourage them to reach out and ask for help if they are feeling low or anxious.

“The pandemic has had a big impact on everyone of all ages and very few of us are emerging from the last two years completely unscathed. However, talking about mental health and wellbeing is not something most older people have traditionally done, so they need to know it’s ok – perfectly normal in fact. Many older people may feel reluctant to start a conversation about mental health, but the NHS is still there to support them and can offer treatments such as Talking Therapies which are often very effective.

“Before the pandemic started older people were already under-referred for NHS talking therapy services. The proportion of referrals made up by older people is now the lowest it’s been for years, despite them being just as likely as other age groups to experience common mental health conditions. In addition, experts agree that when given the opportunity, older people do really well when they engage in counselling and the like, and we need to continually challenge misconceptions and stereotypes that prevent older people from getting the psychological help they need and deserve.

“We can all do our bit to help by reaching out to older relatives and friends for a chat over the phone. For anyone hard of hearing, a letter may be hugely welcome. For those online, video calls offer a world of opportunities to stay in touch. Simple actions like these can do more good than you will ever know, especially now.”

Rosie Weatherley, Information Content Manager at Mind, said: “It’s shocking that millions of older people are reporting feeling depressed, lonely and anxious since the pandemic began. Mind’s research found that, during the first lockdown, many people reported a decline in their mental health. Despite this increased prevalence, lots of people were reluctant to ask for help because they were concerned about ‘burdening’ the NHS at a time of increased pressure. This is worrying because we know that left untreated, mental health problems become more difficult and expensive to treat.

“If you notice changes to your thoughts, feelings and behaviours that are affecting your daily life, last longer than two weeks, or keep returning – try to talk to someone you trust, ideally your GP. A GP should be able to let you know if you might have a common mental health problem, like depression and anxiety, and signpost you to support.

“There are lots of treatments available, including talking therapy, medication and self-care techniques like exercise, mindfulness and arts therapies. We know that NHS support offered remotely (via phone or online) due to COVID restrictions won’t work for everyone, with many struggling with technology or concerned about confidentiality. We have been calling on the UK Government to make sure face-to-face services continue to be offered. Age UK also provide some amazing support to older people, such as befriending, so if you’re worried, please make use of the support available.”

 

 

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