Reaching an advanced age means you may have outlived many of your friends and relatives, and perhaps even lost a spouse or longtime companion. Loneliness and grief may at times be overwhelming, but there is a difference between grief and depression. In grief, you mourn your loss but keep your sense of self-esteem or self-worth. In depression, you don't.

As you age, new worries occupy your mind. You may find yourself worrying about losing your independence or mobility and may have serious concerns about how this may affect your quality of life. If you have taken pride in living life on your own terms, this adjustment is not an easy one, and such fundamental changes in life circumstances may trigger the onset of depression.

Diagnosis and Treatment

You'll frequently hear people say that most of the elderly are depressed. This simply isn't true. If you've been happy-go-lucky and well-adjusted your whole life, you'll tend to remain so, as you age. If you were an irritable child, adolescent, and adult, you'll probably become an irritable older person, as well. Your personality — the way you look at and react to life — will tend to remain fairly constant throughout your life.

Certain conditions are often associated with certain age groups. Alzheimer's disease, previously referred to as senility, tends to be the province of the elderly. While this may be the case, it doesn't necessarily have to be. What may appear to be Alzheimer's or some other form of dementia may be something else entirely.

Prescription drug interactions may mimic many of the symptoms of Alzheimer's, and so can depression. Since other medical conditions often co-exist with depression, it may be extremely difficult to diagnose depression in the elderly and is often not considered.

When depression develops, it needs to be treated. Diagnosing depression in the elderly requires careful attention to symptoms. As the body ages, the physical symptoms of aging may overshadow the real problem — depression. In some older men, low testosterone levels may play a role in depression. Often, the form of depression that affects the elderly is dysthymia (chronic depression). Treating that depression can lead to renewed interest in life.

Special Considerations for Caring for the Elderly

While many older folks get out and about — keeping mentally and physically active with travel, volunteer work, or other community activities — others with decreased mobility have fewer options. Our society is based on mobility. Relocating — changing jobs and homes frequently — has become the norm.

As a consequence of that mobility, the important personal, day-to-day connection that alerted you to changes in your relatives' physical and mental health has been lost. This means that it may be some time before you realize to what extent they may have experienced severe decline.

If you can't be there in person, however, you can be there virtually. Technology can help you to keep in touch. The Pew Internet & American Life Project reports that while 56 percent of all Americans go online regularly, only 15 percent of those 65 and older do so. If you are looking for a way to help your older relatives stave off depression, see about getting them connected to the Internet and helping them learn how to go online, send and receive e-mail, and join groups that are of interest to them.

Developing online friendships with peers, corresponding with family and friends, and sharing information with other elders, are just some of the ways the Internet can enhance the quality of life for older folks.