Solitary Confinement -- for Life! by Phyllis Staff, Ph.D.

·Refusal to eat

·Refusal to take prescribed medications

·Thoughts or talk of suicide (remember, the notion that suicides do not signal their plans is a myth!)

·Significant changes in personality

·Irritability

What Can You Do?

A few simple steps may improve their condition rapidly:

·Call more often than usual.

·Take your elder for outings away from the house.

·Schedule a medical appointment to confirm or deny your suspicions, and be the one to take your elder to that appointment. Depression often accompanies the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

·Check bottles to be certain that your elder is actually taking prescribed medications at the recommended dosages. Too many or too few pills in the bottle can warn you of problems. If you find evidence that medications are not taken as prescribed, gently probe to see if you can learn why.

·Include the elder in parties and holiday festivities, but keep the duration of their participation at a level they can handle comfortably.

·Drop in more often than usual on homebound elders.

You don’t have to be a doctor or social worker to recognize the signs of depression. Take action now to protect those who protected you.

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BIO:

Phyllis Staff, Ph.D. - Phyllis Staff is an experimental psychologist and the CEO of The Best Is Yet.Net, an internet company that helps seniors and caregivers find trustworthy residential care. She is the author of How to Find Great Senior Housing: A Roadmap for Elders and Those Who Love Them. She is also the daughter of a victim of Alzheimer's disease. Visit the author's web site at http://www.thebestisyet.net.

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