Beating the Holiday Blues

By Jim Miller

Savvy Senior

Once again the holidays are upon us, which means it’s time for festive partying with friends and family, sharing gifts and laughter – and getting depressed. That’s right. For millions of Americans, the holidays bring on feelings of sadness and anxiety that can be hard to shake, and seniors tend to be particularly vulnerable.

Senior Holiday Blues

There are lots of factors that can contribute to an older person’s sadness or apathy around the holiday season such as the loss of a spouse, sibling or a close friend. Some seniors feel alone and isolated because their grown children and grandchildren live far away. While others may feel blue because of financial concerns, poor health or because they’re unable to perform routine holiday activities like shopping, baking or even attending religious services.

If you notice your parent or elder loved one struggling with the holiday blues here are some suggestions that can help. Depending on what’s making them blue:

Be a good listener: Talk to him or her about how they are feeling and why. Very often just being able to share feelings with someone can help.
Prevent isolation: Encourage family members to be around them as much as possible during the holidays. If you can’t be there physically, be sure to call more often.
Find community help: Contact her church or other community resource where someone may be able to stop by for a visit, or pick him or her up for a religious service or community activity.
Ease any financial guilt: If your parent is on a tight budget, be sure they doesn’t feel guilty if they can’t afford to buy the grandchildren fancy gifts. It’s not what the holidays should be about.
Lend a helping hand: If poor health or physical limitations are causing their blues, lend a hand with shopping, decorating and other holiday preparations.
Suggest volunteering: Many churches or civic groups would love help (also see Web sites like www.volunteermatch.org and www.getinvolved.gov to find volunteer opportunities). Helping others is a great way to forget your own troubles.
Watch the holiday spirits: Alcohol consumption for many people goes up during the holiday season, and alcohol is a depressant that can intensify the problem.
Go for a walk: Exercise is a natural antidepressant so encourage your loved one to go for a daily walk, or if possible, take one with them.

Watch for Depression

There’s a big difference between feeling sad or blue and being chronically depressed. If your loved one’s blues linger beyond the holidays into the New Year, they may have a more serious problem. Here are the signs to watch for:

A persistent feeling of sadness.
Lost interest in hobbies or activities that she formerly enjoyed.
Feeling worthless or hopeless.
Inability to sleep or sleeping too much.
Loss of energy or motivation.
Not eating or eating too much.
Trouble thinking, concentrating, and making decisions.
Feeling anxious, restless, or irritable.
Thinking about dying or killing herself.

Another good way you can check your loved one’s mood is by giving them a depression screening test at www.depressionscreening.org. If you find that they are depressed, encourage him or her to get help beginning with their own doctor. There are a variety of treatment options that can help such as medications, professional counseling or a combination of both.

Savvy Tips: The American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry provides a variety of helpful publications on senior depression including “Coping with Depression and the Holidays.” To order your free copies, visit www.aagponline.org or call 301-654-7850 ext. 100. Also see www.positiveaging.org.

Jim Miller creator of Savvy Senior, a syndicated information column for older Americans and the families who support them that is published in more than 400 newspapers and magazines nationwide and can be found online at savvysenior. Jim is also a regular contributor on NBC’s “Today” show, and is the author of The Savvy Senior, The Ultimate Guide to Health, Family and Finances for Senior Citizens, (Hyperion, 2004). You can reach Jim at jim@savvysenior.org