“Caring for someone you love is a real privilege fraught with sorrow,” said one contributor to our Guardian Witness project about unpaid caring. “And some self-pity, which is fought off relentlessly. For my wife and I as parents, it is a life sentence. We will be doing this until the day we die.”
Category Archives: Depression
Internet Use Can Reduce Depression Risk in Elderly
Loneliness can fuel depression in older adults, and experts estimate that as many as 10 million older Americans suffer from depression.
Now, a new study suggests information technology, specifically use of the Internet, among the elderly can reduce the chances of depression by more than 30 percent.
Researchers followed the lives of thousands of retired older Americans reviewing data collected by the Health and Retirement Survey — a survey collecting information from more than 22,000 older Americans every two years.
“The 30 percent reduction is a very strong effect,” said Shelia Cotten, Ph.D., a Michigan State University professor of telecommunication, information studies and media who led the project.
“And it all has to do with older persons being able to communicate, to stay in contact with their social networks, and just not feel lonely.”
Screen carers for depression, say doctors' leaders
The Royal College of GPs said carers often neglected their own healthcare needs
11 May 2013 Last updated at 14:27
Carers should be routinely screened for signs of depression by their GP to ensure their health needs are not neglected, doctors’ leaders say.
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) estimates one in every 20 patients registered with a GP practice is providing unpaid care.
About 40% of carers are thought to be at risk of depression or stress because of their caring role.
Charity Carers UK said GPs had a vital role to play in supporting carers.
It is estimated that seven million people in the UK currently provide unpaid care to a sick or disabled child or an adult who could not otherwise live independently.
Many of them are already known to GPs, but the RCGP says more should be done to improve the support and services offered to carers.
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