"Monitoring Mother's Mental Health: Tips for Recognizing and Preventing Depression in Elderly Mothers on Mother's Day and Beyond"

2023-05-06 04:13:42

Although Mother’s Day is presented as a special date to accompany and surprise mom, monitoring a mother’s mental health must be permanent and be attentive to possible symptoms of depression.

“Empty nest” is a stage in the life of mothers which refers to the fact of seeing the children leave so that they can consolidate their own families. It is common for it to generate a strong feeling of melancholy, assured Mauro Cerón, coordinator of the Psychology program at the Private University of the North (UPN)who provided some tips for keeping an eye on Mom’s mental health.

Although Mother’s Day is presented as a special date to accompany and surprise mom, Cerón points out that monitoring a mother’s mental health must be permanent and be attentive to possible symptoms of depression.

“Children should never forget all the love that a mother gave them since they were born. She will always remember that she revealed herself to serve them and accompany them when they were cold, hungry or afraid. If there is love, her children will easily find the spaces and moments for her to care for her and do for her the same thing that she demonstrated: unconditional love ”he says.

For Mauro Cerón, the lack of an activity that generates income and the acceptance of seeing how the years limit their physical abilities, increases feelings of melancholy in older adults, which can lead to depression if family members neglect mom in the stage of “Empty nest”.

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“At UPN we are committed to providing our students with a quality education, but also to sharing our academic knowledge with the community to generate well-being. The family of an elderly mother must be attentive to certain behaviors, such as isolation, little dialogue, a lost look when spoken to, comments of reluctance, lack of interest in those things that previously called her attention, and a low voice when communicate your mood”, he warned.

Cerón identified some care that children should apply with an elderly mother who lives alone and that we should all take into account on the next Mother’s Day:

Listening is essential: The UPN specialist warns that the speech of the elderly can be repetitive, but it is important to attend to them.
Create pleasant walking spaces: Take her where she feels happy. You don’t need a large budget, the goal is for mom to feel accompanied by her.
Identify appropriate activities: a fundamental aspect is to make them feel useful. For this, it is recommended to make a list of actions where mom could participate and motivate her to carry out any of them.
Go to the psychologist: the evaluation of a professional, once a month, is important. In this way, cognitive, affective and social processes will be evaluated and any indication of a mental health problem will be mitigated.