Elderly need mental health support

Gwenda Pomeroy first noticed something was wrong when she could not stop pouring water into a glass for her grandson.

She did not know why she kept pouring, and felt like she did not know who she was any more.

The now 77-year-old was recovering from a major heart attack, which she believes was partly caused by stress following the February 2011 earthquake, and started ‘‘pulling away from everything’’.

‘‘I didn’t want to go out, didn’t want to see people, didn’t want to answer the phone, had no interest in computer, TV, radio.’’

The thought she was depressed did not cross her mind.

‘‘I’ve always been out there, always been positive. Life was good, even if it was difficult. But suddenly there was that horrible loss of who I was.’’

Experts and advocacy groups warn mental health issues are under-diagnosed for older people, and those suffering anxiety and depression often do not know where to find help.

For Pomeroy, it took an observant ambulance officer for her to realise she had a problem.

She felt much better after a few weeks of therapy and a prescription for a mild antidepressant, but relapsed in late 2013 after seeing her sister-in-law battle the last stages of cancer.

She told her GP in February 2014 that she was feeling sad, helpless and had lost her balance again.

‘‘I know I needed to talk. I needed help.’’

She was referred to the older persons mental health service, but there was no space.

Pomeroy’s daughter sought help from Age Concern, which sent a volunteer psychologist once a week.

She now felt mentally healthy again, and had recognised the importance of ‘‘being able to talk’’.

‘‘I think just getting old can make you depressed. I’ve never ever worried about getting old and suddenly I’ve got two hearing aids, bad eyesight, a puffer for asthma and your body starts breaking,’’ she said.

‘‘You’ve worked, you’ve been in charge of things and suddenly the world is stopping.

‘‘It’s most important to talk about mental health. It’s not a stigma, it’s a condition and it can be treated.’’

Age Concern chief executive Simon Templeton said older people needed more mental health support.

An informal survey of 50 Age Concern members revealed 90 per cent felt it would be useful to have access to psychological support for issues including anxiety and depression, and 70 per cent said they would not know where to seek help if they needed it.

‘‘Often, it’s felt that it’s a normal part of aging to feel low in mood or sad. It masks depression that can be treated,’’ he said.

University of Otago, Christchurch, senior lecturer in medicine Hamish Jamieson said isolation and loneliness were big risk factors for the elderly, and could lead to depression, anxiety and other health issues.

GPs did ‘‘a great job in a small amount of time’’, but could only do so much, he said.

‘‘It’s going to be a national challenge to know what to do with an increasingly isolated aging population. We need to look at innovative ways to connect people.’’

The Canterbury District Health Board did not respond to request for comment.