Celebrate Older American's Month

Older Americans' Mental Health Week: an annual opportunity to spread the message that mental illness is not a normal part of aging.
May 21 - 27, 2007

It is no secret that we all age, although sometimes we try to keep it a secret from ourselves. Often we deny our aging because we are afraid of what might happen when we are older. Will we be strong enough to take care of ourselves? Will our minds hold out as long as our bodies?

A survey released this month by the MetLife Foundation found that adults over age 55 fear Alzheimer’s disease more than cancer. We all want to live long, healthy and happy lives.

Fortunately, researchers have determined that there are things we all can do to help keep our minds and emotions healthy into advanced age. Some of it will not come as a surprise because it turns out that the secrets of aging well are the secrets of living well. For years we all have heard about the importance of eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep and connecting with friends and family. Now we know that these are good for the brain as well as our bodies.

But if the secret of healthy aging could be boiled down to one word it would be activity, according to the Older Women’s League, which sponsors Older Americans’ Mental Health Week the last week of May.

Mental activity, physical activity and social activity all are proven to help keep individuals healthy, well into their future. While brain cells grow old and deteriorate, we also can continue to form new, more efficient connections in our brains into our 80s.

Mental activity helps to increase brain connections and delays onset of dementia. Researchers from Pennsylvania State University found that many people do not lose significant amounts of mental functioning as they age, and those who do could prevent decline and improve function by reading, taking courses, even doing word puzzles or jigsaw puzzles. And mastering a new skill or maintaining mastery of an old one—such as playing the piano or speaking a foreign language—helps to keep us confident and boosts our immunity to illness.

Physical activity is associated with a lower risk of depression among older adults, The American Journal of Epidemiology recently reported. Physical activity releases good chemicals into the brain and increases both brain connections and functioning.

Researchers at the University of Illinois found a correlation between aerobic exercise and density of brain tissue, and research at the Salk Institute suggests that people who have different levels of physical activity have differences in brain cell growth. In the study, mice that got a lot of exercise daily showed a lot of cell growth. "The brain may be more capable of self repair than we think," said lead researcher Henriete van Praag.

Of course, physical exercise also helps make sure that our bodies will be healthy as we age. The Center for Disease Control goes so far as to say “physical activity is the key to healthy aging. Nowhere is the gap wider between what we know and what we do than in the area of physical activity. Nowhere is the potential pay-off greater.”

Social activity lowers stress and increases a sense of support, lowering levels of harmful chemicals in the brain and boosting positive ones. Researchers at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles found that support from family and friends helps older people stay mentally healthy, in part because it improves self-esteem. Social connections also boost our immunity to physical illnesses.

While genes determine about 30 percent of the characteristics of aging, lifestyle and environmental factors decide the other 70 percent, according to research by the MacArthur Foundation Consortium on Successful Aging. So, there is much we can do to influence the quality of our aging.

Acting on this new research on healthy aging can help you keep fit and stay well, but it won’t necessarily prevent all mental health problems because not every mental health problem or dementia can be prevented. But if identified early and treated properly then most mental health problems can be successfully treated and, according to The New England Journal of Medicine, progression of illnesses like Alzheimer’s can be slowed.

Older adults have the same rate of mental illness as younger adults: about one in five have a diagnosable mental health problem, and one in ten have a serious mental health problem. The most common mental health problems for older adults are anxiety, depression and dementia. Importantly, older adults have the highest suicide rate, so depression should be taken seriously.

Problems like these may require consultation with a healthcare professional:

• Sadness that has lasted longer than two weeks.
• Consistent worries about issues such as money, family, and health.
• Consistent trouble sleeping or concentrating.
• Frequent trouble remembering things or feeling confused in familiar places.
• Have more than one alcoholic drink a day or take more medication than is prescribed.
  

Treatments may include medication, psychotherapy and, in the case of dementia, community supports. The American Federation of Aging Research and the Alzheimer’s Association both report high expectations for continued advancement in treatments and also in prevention.

Often solving basic problems—such as getting a regular ride to the grocery store—can help alleviate anxiety and depression, so reach out for help. Remember, the sooner you get help the sooner you will feel better! Mental illness is not a normal part of aging.

Reading, walking and socializing are just a few of the activities that individuals can enjoy at any age. And keeping an active mind, body and social life are good for your mental health, too. That’s news you can use!

Older Americans’ Mental Health Week is the last week in May. For more information, see www.owl-national.org.