Episode 81: Understanding Mental Health in Older Adults

With record numbers of Americans now living to age 90 and beyond, the mental health, in addition to the physical health, of this population needs our focus. Even if an older adult makes monthly trips to their primary care provider, cases of depression and anxiety might be misdiagnosed or disregarded altogether due to age-based biases. In an older patient, telltale signs of depression — such as gaps in memory, loss of appetite and withdrawal from social circles — are too often conflated with symptoms of dementia, Alzheimer’s and other potentially co-occurring illnesses. On this episode, Carly Bassett of Family Eldercare in Austin shares advice on how to support the mental health of older adults. Wallace Award Winner Completes Doctoral Dissertation http://hogg.utexas.edu/the-health-cost-of-aging-in-america The Health Cost of Aging in America http://hogg.utexas.edu/wallace-award-winner-completes-doctoral-dissertation The State of Mental Health and Aging in America https://www.cdc.gov/aging/pdf/mental_health.pdf