One Is the Deadliest Number: Depression and Anxiety Disorders are Far More Prevalent with Those Who Live Alone

Most of us would like to end our lives in our homes.  An overwhelming majority of seniors are reluctant to move out of their homes to another type of living arrangement.  This phenomenon is not exclusive to the elderly; no one likes to make life-changing transitions. 

Least of all those for whom learning the “ins and outs” of their new neighborhood, making new friends and navigating through a new topography is a difficult task.  The move seems a hurdle that may not be overcome.  It is like asking me to dunk a basketball on a regular court.  I can see myself doing it - but only in my mind.

On the other hand, statistics tells us that seniors who live alone are more prone to a gamut of cognitive maladies, not least of which are Alzheimer’s and the onset of dementia.  Humans are social animals; we depend on other people for company and support.  When that comfort blanket is stripped away from us, we frequently fall apart.  Therapists report that depression and anxiety disorders are far more prevalent with those who live alone.

In addition to the social impact that living alone may produce, there is often the practical recognition that we can’t live alone. There are many motor and physical limitations that preclude the life of freedom we cherish.  Our eyesight may be failing, and our strength seems to wither like aged fruits on the vine. Our spouse – if still with us and willing – may also suffer the same disabilities and is unable to render any assistance. 

Many different limitations may hit us simultaneously and incrementally:

·         An inability to maintain the home in proper working and living conditions.  Basic housekeeping becomes more of a chore and eventually impossible.

·         An inability to get to medical appointments or to keep to a regular medication schedule.  We tend to under-medicate or (more often) overdose on prescribed medications.

·         An inability to administer the mail that arrives and to make proper payments to the various vendors that we rely on to survive. We are more prone to scammers and to con artists that prey on seniors.

·         We rightly fear that we are more susceptible to fall hazards and frightened that we will not be able to call for emergency help.

·         Perhaps the greatest danger is that we are unable to maintain a proper diet. Many “live-alone” seniors suffer from malnutrition.

There are, of course, many ways that one can stave off the inevitability of such a scenario.  There are many steps one can take to prolong one’s stay at home:

·         Living with (or very near) family

·         There are many medical alert systems

·         “Meals on Wheels” programs.

·         Visiting aides and nurses’ services

For many, moving to an assisted living facility or an adult living community provides the appropriate step to continue having the accustomed freedom and dignity.  These housing arrangements also do not have the stigma of a “nursing home,” though many are attached to one.

But whatever measures you, as the senior citizen wishes to take, it is important to plan ahead and to make arrangements before others make those choices on your behalf.

Have any thoughts on the issue?  Share them with us at www.MatureAging.com, and we may post them (only after getting your permission) in a future edition.

Till next time,

Josh