Fighting the Blues: Depression in Long-term Care

This past Monday, January 16th, was Blue Monday – supposedly the most depressing day of the year. However, for many residents who have recently moved into long-term care facilities, every day is a “blue” day.

Moving into a nursing home or residential care setting can be a very difficult experience for some individuals. Some common pervasive thoughts that many people experience after moving into a long-term care facility include:

• This is the end of the road
• There is no hope
• I’m losing my independence
• I’m going to lose the support of my family and friends

Along with the transition to long-term care, a resident may be dealing with complicated health problems, be on a number of different medications and have experienced other recent losses in their life. These factors put them at a higher risk for developing depression, especially in the first couple of months after moving.

Early detection of depression is critical to treatment, so healthcare professionals must be vigilant in screening for depression. Tools such as the Geriatric Depression Scale, a short test which uses simple questions and answers, can be used to monitor mood¹.

The Geriatric Depression Scale can be accessed here: http://bit.ly/2iIT7jX

For more information on depression in long-term care, visit the J.W. Crane Memorial Library’s research guide here: http://libguides.lib.umanitoba.ca/depression-longtermcare

¹Depression in long-term care. (n.d.). Retrieved January 16, 2017 from http://www.baycrest.org/educate/mental-health/depression/depression-in-long-term-care