{"id":21392,"date":"2026-03-11T11:03:56","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T11:03:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/dos-and-donts-of-caring-for-an-older-adult-with-mental-illness\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:12:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:12:05","slug":"dos-and-donts-of-caring-for-an-older-adult-with-mental-illness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/caregiving\/family-caregiving\/advice-for-caregivers\/dos-and-donts-of-caring-for-an-older-adult-with-mental-illness\/","title":{"rendered":"Dos and Don\u2019ts of Caring for an Older Adult with Mental Illness"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Kerstin Yoder, LISWS, is a Social Worker\/Group Coordinator with <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.benrose.org\/web\/guest\/-\/for-older-people-and-families\/behavioral-health-services\"><em>Behavioral Health Services<\/em><\/a><em> at <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.benrose.org\"><em>Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging<\/em><\/a><em>. <\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Understanding mental illness<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mental illness is characterized by a myriad of conditions that impact an individual\u2019s thoughts, emotions or mood. Since mental illness can make it more difficult for a person to maintain rational thought and control, day-to-day self-care can be a challenge.<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to older adults, stereotypes can add to the challenge. Common presumptions like, \u201cThe elderly are ornery,\u201d or, \u201cGetting older has made her impossible to deal with,\u201d allow people to brush off symptoms that may point to mental health issues. Keep in mind that mental illness is not a \u201cnormal part of aging.\u201d If you are a caregiver to an older loved one, it\u2019s important to learn how to distinguish signs of mental illness.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Common symptoms of mental illness in older adults<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Although they vary greatly, these are some of the more common symptoms of mental illness in older adults:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Changes in grooming or standards of living<\/li>\n<li>Confusion, problems concentrating and making decisions<\/li>\n<li>Increased or decreased appetite or weight<\/li>\n<li>Feeling worthless, guilty or helpless<\/li>\n<li>Short-term memory loss<\/li>\n<li>Unexplained fatigue, getting too much sleep or not enough<\/li>\n<li>Withdrawing from others<\/li>\n<li>Lessened interest in activities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nami.org\/nami\/media\/nami-media\/infographics\/generalmhfacts.pdf\">Mental Health Facts in America report<\/a>, about 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness in any given year. Two common forms of mental illness older adults face are generalized anxiety disorder and depression.<\/p>\n<p>Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by severe, persistent anxiety that interferes with day-to-day activities. For older adults, this can result in apprehension, restlessness, tension or dread, and bring on headaches, fatigue, insomnia, heart palpitations or stomach issues.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, depression is characterized by on-going feelings of sadness and loss of interest that can interfere with day-to-day life. It can be brought on by stressful events or change. Depression can be exacerbated for those who experience social isolation, the passing of friends or loved ones, or chronic pain.<\/p>\n<p>Make sure to see a doctor for a diagnosis since it can be tough to distinguish depression and generalized anxiety disorder from dementia, as the symptoms can be similar.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dos and Don\u2019ts of caring for an older loved one with mental illness<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mental illness is a touchy subject, and as a caregiver, you might be concerned that you\u2019ll say or do the wrong thing when you\u2019re only trying to help. Because you\u2019re not sure how to broach the subject, you may avoid talking about it at all. But it\u2019s important to get it out in the open since your loved one relies on you for support and validation.<\/p>\n<p>These tips can help:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>DO listen and adopt an attitude of respect<\/li>\n<li>DO make it clear that you will be there to assist in whatever way is needed<\/li>\n<li>DO accept that your loved one\u2019s fears, anxieties, feelings of despair, and even hallucinations and\/or delusions are real to him or her, even if you have a hard time understanding<\/li>\n<li>DO build a trusting bond which allows your loved one to open up to you and know you are there<\/li>\n<li>DO stay calm\u2014if you appear agitated, it may heighten your loved one\u2019s agitation<\/li>\n<li>DO genuinely communicate your concerns<\/li>\n<li>DO leave treatment decisions to psychological or medical professionals\n\t <\/li>\n<li>DON\u2019T communicate with aggressive body language<\/li>\n<li>DON\u2019T assume that your loved one has cognitive impairment<\/li>\n<li>DON\u2019T blame your loved one for his or her mental health issues or for not being able to control them. Saying something like, \u201cjust be positive\u201d can make someone feel like they haven\u2019t made enough of an effort.<\/li>\n<li>DON\u2019T assume your loved one is abusing alcohol or recreational drugs<\/li>\n<li>DON\u2019T drastically alter how you act around your loved one because of his or her mental health challenges<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Helpful resources<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the event of a mental health emergency, make sure to get your loved one immediate help. If the situation is life-threatening, call 911, and if your loved one is suicidal, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 for assistance from trained crisis workers.<\/p>\n<p>In less severe situations, you can contact the SAMHSA Treatment Referral Helpline at 1-877-726-4727 to discuss available mental health services in your area. If your loved one needs ongoing support, consider looking into mental and behavioral health services that offer counseling and treatment, like Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.benrose.org\/web\/guest\/-\/for-older-people-and-families\/behavioral-health-services\">Behavioral Health Services<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kerstin Yoder, LISWS, is a Social Worker\/Group Coordinator with Behavioral Health Services at Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. Understanding mental illness Mental illness is characterized by a myriad of conditions that impact an individual\u2019s thoughts, emotions or mood. Since mental illness can make it more difficult for a person to maintain rational thought and control, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":29351,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[370],"tags":[47,243,230,48],"ppma_author":[1127],"class_list":["post-21392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice-for-caregivers","tag-aging","tag-alzheimers","tag-anxiety","tag-depression"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Dos and Don\u2019ts of Caring for an Older Adult with Mental Illness - Guideposts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dos and Don\u2019ts of Caring for an Older Adult with Mental Illness\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kerstin Yoder, LISWS, is a Social Worker\/Group Coordinator with Behavioral Health Services at Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. 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