Loneliness, Depression and Sociability in Old Age

Loneliness, Depression and Sociability in Old Age

Objective

The following critique is taken from the article Lonliness, depression and sociability in old age. The article is written by Archana Singh and Nishi Misra and was accepted in 2009. Author's main objectives are to study the relationship between loneliness, depression and social interactions among the old age population. His second objective is to examine the effects of loneliness, depression and social interactions on the basis of gender difference.

The main focus of the article is on the following points.

Depression is a major condition between the old age people and it creates a profound impact on the quality of life.

There is a direct relationship between the depression in old age and mortality.

Lonliness can be one of the main reason of depression in old age.

Recommendations for nurses

There should be a separate course of depression for the nurses which should include etiology and clinical presentation of the disease (Ellen et al 2003). The nurses who are specially educated about the depression should use the recent and updated scales for the the sensitivity of the Geriatric Depression which can help in improving the identification of depression and also the satisfaction of work and the turnover of staff (Bruhl KG et al 2007).

Background

The process of aging starts with the birth and it keeps on moving along with the life of a person. It indicates the end of life. There are a lot of changes which happen with the onset of old age, and the ability of a person is truly necessary to adjust and face these changes (Warnick, 1995). It is a general opinion that health means nonexistence of the disease condition in a body because the old people are more likely to get ill. In fact, the disease should be diagnosed by monitoring the comfort level which decreases along with an increase in a symptomatic condition. For example, pain and side effects of any medicine (Borchelt et al., 1999). However, Rowe and khan (1987) made the suggestion that the health of old people can be co related with their age and habits collectively.

Studies have shown that the process of aging depends upon the sociological and psychological aspects. Further more research on the aging process also favors the above statement and specifies that if a person faces the positive religious, social and economical aspects of life than he can proceed to old age process in a healthy way.

Depression

Depression is truly common among the elderly and its effects an individual's quality of life. However it is more added that the symptoms of depression increases when the aging proceeds (Kennedy, 1996). The symptoms of depression not only indicate the psychotic condition of a person, but it also identifies the secrets of health and longevity. When a person is facing problems in his daily life than the symptoms of depression, are also increased (Penninx et al, 1998). These findings are further more elaborated by Bruce (1994) and Speck et ...