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Depression In The Elderly Research Paper

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People often associate the elderly having depression as a part of ageing, but sadly it’s not. Depression in the elderly stems from multiple different reasons, such as the elderly in assisted living do not get family visits or friends that visit, they don’t get out of their room to move around and social isolation. Many studies have been conducted on cause and effect of depression in the elderly and since then intergenerational programs have been created to get the older generation to interact with the younger and upcoming generations. Having the opportunity for the different generations interact has a positive effect on both sides; the younger generations will have the opportunity to learn new things, create a new appreciations for things and …show more content…

The seniors provide many services such as providing child care, supporting school dropouts, drug addicts and many more. Helping in the community helps see both sides of life, help recognizing what's going on in their community and knowing that they can do something to make a difference. It also helps them learn new things, things are changing everyday and some aren’t capable of learning how to use a smartphone and definitely wouldn’t be able to get an instagram or social media without someone helping them all the time. So it’s good for the elderly to get out into public and see for themselves what’s new. Also getting out of the nursing home or assisted living helps keep them motivated, limber and keep up their blood flow. The intergenerational programs give the elderly something to look forward to and having a new routine so they're not sitting in their room doing nothing, they have a new routine which gives them a comforting sense of coherence. Spending time with the elderly means more to them then just people making …show more content…

Having the seniors retell their stories and adventures helps test their memory and brain function by having them trying to remember the story and share it with others. Most people think that if they ask the elderly about family, spouses, children, etc. will depress them, but it helps them keep their family in their memory and it means alot to them to know that someone else genuinely cares and wants to know about their life. Elderly people are expected to share their knowledge and values with children thus demonstrating their ‘generativity’. (Murayama, Yoh “The effect of intergenerational program on the mental health of elderly adults.”) Along with having SOC comes confidence thus helps keep away depression. SOC can also be reached by setting goals and reaching those

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