Alliance for Aging Research Warns Boomers to Watch for Signs of Elderly Depression: Symptoms Typically Ignored as Natural Part of Aging
[27 July 2004 - Alliance for Aging Research] The not-for-profit Alliance for Aging Research has launched a new campaign aimed to urgently inform Baby Boomers of the symptoms of elderly depression and how to approach this topic with an older parent. According to the Alliance, six million elderly suffer from some form of depression. Many times older Americans experiencing depression, and those closest to them, do not recognize the symptoms or seek the help necessary. The symptoms are often dismissed as an inevitable part of aging, when in fact it is a serious medical condition that can magnify disability and premature death.  When gone untreated, depression in the elderly can lead to suicide. Comprising only 13 percent of the U.S. population, individuals age 65 and older accounted for 18 percent of all suicide deaths in 2000. Astonishingly, several studies have found that many older adults who die by suicide -- up to 75 percent -- have visited a primary care physician within a month of their suicide. As part of the campaign, the Alliance offers an online resource guide (http://www.agingresearch.org/), as well as a free brochure for caregivers entitled "How to Talk to Your Elderly Parent About Depression" that includes the topics:

• What is depression?
• Facts about depression and getting older.
• How do you know your older parent is suffering from depression?
• Approaching the topic of depression with your parent.
• Things you can do.

The following person is also available for media interviews to discuss her first hand account of a parent with depression: Lea Jamieson* has been the vice president of more than one national mental health organization. Despite being well educated on the types of medication for depression, Jamieson did not detect depression in her elderly mother. After discovering her mother was suicidal, Jamieson and other family members formed a support system aimed at convincing healthcare professionals that their mother's condition was not just a part of aging.
If you would like more information on how to detect elderly parent depression or to order a copy of the brochure please call 202.293.2856 or visit our website at http://www.agingresearch.org. The campaign is supported by a grant from Eli Lilly and Company. Founded in 1986, the Alliance for Aging Research is a nonprofit, independent organization dedicated to improving the health and independence of aging Americans through public and private funding of medical research and geriatric education. The Alliance combines the interests of top scientists, public officials, business executives and foundation leaders to promote a greater national investment in research and new technologies that will prepare our nation for the coming senior boom, and improve the quality of life for today's older generation.