Some elderly persons begin to lose their will to live when
they suddenly find that there is no close family at hand and
that all their friends are either sick or dead. This social
isolation they feel ___1___
them into depression. Although there are ___2___
medication and non-drug therapies available to treat depression,
the elderly person ___3___
wants no part of it. One of the reasons for this___4___
is a result of depression itself. It ___5___
people to feel hopeless about their situation, to ___6___
no potential for improvement -- and therefore the ___7___
need for therapies. One way to get around this is to ___8___
depression as a medical condition. The patient ___9___
be told that depression causes physical symptoms ___10___
headaches, abdominal pains and tingling in the arms or legs --
all of which can be ___11___
by the doctor. Most importantly, the ___12___
of isolation and depression must be broken. The elderly must be ___13___
into family activities particularly involving grandchildren.
They must also be ___14___
away from lonely pursuits and be persuaded to ___15___
hobbies and to meet other people. |