Treatment can be more successful if family members participate in care.
It is easy to think that feelings of depression in an older person are due to physical illness or life events, such as loss of loved ones. There is no single cause of depression. A. Thoughts of death are not abnormal for older people. However, people who feel hopeless, helpless, or that life is a burden, are at increased risk for suicide. Persons who have recently experienced a loss or bereavement, a new physical illness, who are living alone or are socially isolated, or who drink alcohol, may be at increased risk.