hi i'm tom callahan and welcome to only seniors the show where we talk about senior issues senior living and senior solutions isolation and depression are two the biggest problems facing our seniors today so chicken and the  egg scenario we don't know which cause which does isolation cause people to be depressed or people depressed because they're isolated my guests tonight are going to stalk about a solution to both isolation and depression look a little bit about isolation of seniors and its effect on them as a whole box me how many people are affected by this there's about of levon million seniors out in our communities today who suffer with senior isolation there are so many reasons that can support why they're living alone it could be they're divorced could be their children with a far but although seniors suffer at any given d is living alone one of the key factors of the isolation if there's a predisposing position for them there is depression they could suffer from frequent falls lack of medication medication errors there could be many different illnesses that go undetected living alone leads to so many other things there could be weight gain weight loss there could be so many other accidents that could happen by living alone loneliness can really lead to other factors they find that there is people who are living alone who do go through depression they could have thoughts of suicide despair they can feel that they're unattached  loved lonely and this as you said could be the chicken or v a which comes first and depression is such it's such a weight on them with being isolated and people don't understand the effects of depression especially on the seniors like you were saying some things we gain cognitive decline absolutely if there's no social interaction whether it be straight forward and leaving the house  just not having contact not having any communication t v is not a sense of communication so if there isn't any way that they can communicate they do for deeper into depression and they don't realize that they're heading know seniors who live alone or so i understand are subject to abuse absolutely abuse comes in many different ways it could be elder abuse it could be scams it could be contractors who posts at the front door there are so many different ways the scams could happen in a living alone not having that contact those seniors in gauge and some of that activity and if he does the people that perpetrate these scams they understand that that the seniors are lonely and you know i guess also another factor is the fact that the they're not engaging outside of their home means that they're not being forewarned about these scams from other scenes from others them family members friends exciter so they do fall prey to it because we all know that if nobody's paying attention to you when somebody comes up and talks you if you're in a crowd as you don't know anybody and somebody comes up and talk to us everybody always has  affected on a larger scale than we thought what happens is going out into the same community that age group doesn't really recognize everything that goes on the community probably doesn't have children they may have friends but their children aren't there to check on them to call there are so many resource centers that share with us their the l g b t community for further into depression feels more asal a did for so many reasons end up in coming age groups will recognize it but that age group doesn't there was a movie called gen silent about aging l g b t individuals and what we're finding in that is that a lot of them are going back into the closet as a result and not seeking proper care proper attention isolating yeah not engaging with the community not realizing that there is a lifeline and they're absolute for people to engage with them and there are so many resources that they have access to but being isolated can tap into it know what isolation with things like illnesses what happens there a lot of the illnesses because the senior is not getting out whether they don't have the transportation they don't have the access they don't have people who can help them a lot of our senior suffer from for example macular degeneration forgetfulness so getting out to the doctor they may forget to go to the doctor not be able to drive so those illnesses such as d diabetes arthritis high plug pressure are becoming more aggressive because they're not seeking the attention those conditions unless they are treated frequently  also lead to more hospitalizations so having the urgency is out there and some residents and some seniors just remain in their home until this crisis i think it just reinforces  are a lot of times as just people take care of others have better than we take care of ourselves and we know that that's one of the one things that you're addressing here is the fact that when they're isolated there's nobody looking out for them there's nobody watch are a lot like our house plants you know if you don't water the house played it trickles out right you know you have to make sure that seniors are getting hydrogen up especially during the hot summer months so it's like you said they they're forgetting to do it it's you know it's we're busy we're doing things but i think it's across the board a lot of people forget to hardly have especially the seniors in the summertime now besides medications besides our health that you also mentioned earlier like hygiene absolutely most seniors their sense of smell yeah is also affected so they can't smell if there is odor or the origin of the odor they're not brushing their teeth  taking showers they're not properly addressing their hygiene which in effect can lead to medical conditions to cave the teeth can lead to infections poor hygiene can be to so many different things wounds can develop there are so many different aspects dirty clothes lying there bug infestation this can lead to so many different things hygiene as we all take for granted and do every day that's because we've been i find i can think of personal scenarios within my family they isolate maybe because of vanity if they're wearing hearing aids they're very vain if they can't see  degeneration is very prominent they're not out there isolating because of vanity factors they can't drive they are socially i text so to speak as the group looks at the singer who does suffer from those conditions and they don't want to repeat themselves and if you can't hear the senior who can't hear you know someone repeat themselves or they ostracize that that person so they do they go back into their time the caring to slow down and addressed each of the senior concerns the our families are up and running by we forget that our seniors require just an ounce more attention on a frequent basis once we go back again people not asking for what they need you know they don't want to be burdened there's that stigma right you know i shouldn't have to ask for help you should be able to get it to me and you know they're they come first specially today right now we're dealing with a lot of people from what's called the son that generation and that's a generation they're called silent for a reason they don't speak up they suffer in silence yeah and i think that's part of what has it's leading to this isolation as so much and there's so much pride to say that they have gone so far they've done so much in their lifetime they hate to admit things so many things because it and i know that will when i worked on the suicide it was always difficult for france's men to give up the car keys know is when a loved one with dementia has gotten in the car to go down the street and they wind up three states over here so that's a sober alert you know people are going to you know when somebody has to do that and take the burdensome but becomes kind of not so safe right it really safety concerns we talked a little bit about snell so all the senior losing their sense of smell their sense of taste so you won't be able to smell something burning on the stove you won't be able to smell or taste the rotten food that's in your refrigerator so staying at home and feeling that they're trying to do it the best they can you really not they're suffering on many levels  eating bad food striking poor and expired milk and dairy products lead to so much more hospitalizations are increasing because seniors want to remain independent but they're suffering because and there's no one not happen although savvy capabilities it's a simple lap that you download it's a free app and very easy very friendly to use you can put pictures the administrator or the adult child can put everything into it and manage their people usually ask me so what is the difference with a traditional a picture frame and the difference through the companion up no matter where you are become be a night the can be in the morning and you instantly take the picture and send that so along and what else i mean you were saying counters and that the whole family thing can be interactive with yes to even like a therapist coming in yeah yeah everyone everyone that has the  area anymore so sharing that and really engaging the senior grandma or grandpa right in there is wonderful because they don't have the ability to go to facebook they're not tech savvy or computer savvy and this gives them the chance to engage in feel loved because they're having that connection and at the same time keep them on track with when they need to be doing something selves healthy double check and so it's kind of like having that little reminded of the important things tom so somebody can get in touch with you or how do they get contact information e mail addresses and everything right there you know what is there a number that they can call as well to get in touch with you it's also on their website so it's everything's right on the website perfect very good well i'd like to thank you both for being my guests 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