Late-Life Depression Treatment & Rehab in Fort Smith

Learn More About Late-Life Depression Treatment at Valley Behavioral Health

If you’re struggling with late-life depression, you’re certainly not alone. Many older adults have a hard time coping with the changes associated with aging. Losing loved ones, diminishing ability to keep up with things around the house, social isolation – these are all major risk factors for depression. Older adults sometimes have a challenging time accepting help for their late-life depression as they feel as though depression is simply something to be “gotten through,” and may fear the stigma of mental illness. We’ve learned many things about depression; one of which is that depression is a physical disorder, much like diabetes or high blood pressure, and like these other disorders, with proper treatment, you’ll be able to learn strategies and find a renewed sense of hope about the future.

Helping a Loved One or Family Member Get Treatment for Late-Life Depression

If your loved one is living with late-life depression, you may feel at a loss for what to do. Your once-vivacious friend or loved one now prefers to spend her time alone, the energy and spark she had now gone. You may feel helpless as your offers for help go unheard and don’t know what to do. You know what your loved needs but you may not know how to broach the topic. Here are some suggestions for helping a loved one or family member get treatment for late-onset depression.

Learn the facts: By learning more about late-life depression and the symptoms it causes, you’ll make sure that you have the facts on your side when you approach your loved one. Being informed also makes you a better advocate for your loved one, which is always incredibly important.

Make an appointment with his or her doctor: When you make the appointment, make sure that you’re able to go with and really talk to the doctor about what’s been going on with your loved one. The doctor can do a number of prescreening assessments to help you and your loved one determine the best treatment option.

Find a treatment center: If it’s been decided that an inpatient treatment center is ideal for your loved one, do your research and find a center that has a dedicated program for seniors. Reassure your loved one that you will be by his or her side throughout the entire experience.

Why Consider Treatment for Late-Life Depression at Valley Behavioral Health System in Fort Smith, Arkansas

If you or your loved one is facing late-life depression, it may consume you. You may find that you’re not eating as well as you once did or that you’re eating far too much. You may be asleep nearly all of the time or you may not be able to manage to fall asleep. You feel stuck in a rut and don’t know how to change things. An inpatient center that specializes in treatment of older adults is one of the best ways you can begin the treatment process.

Years of research has concluded that an inpatient program for late-life depression that focuses upon the treatment of the elderly is one of the best ways to treat this disorder. An inpatient center allows you to focus solely upon your challenges and learn ways to get better without having outside pressures or burdens hanging over you. Medication stabilization is especially important in older adults, which can be quite a challenge depending upon the comorbid disorders you may have.

Our Treatment Program’s Philosophy and Benefits

At Valley Behavioral Health, we understand the unique needs of our older adult population and have spent much time creating a special unit specifically designed for our elderly clients that include private rooms. We maintain that patient-centered care is the proper way to address emotional and behavioral issues, such as late-life depression or dementia and we’ll stop at nothing to ensure each client’s needs are met during their stay with us. Our multidisciplinary team of medical and mental health professionals will work alongside you to create a plan of care for your stay that includes aftercare planning to ensure continuity of treatment, which is associated with the most positive outcomes.

Types of Late-Life Depression Treatment Offered at Valley Behavioral Health System

When you come to us for treatment of your late-life depression, you’ll first undergo a physical and psychological examination to make sure we are able to best create a treatment plan that meets all of your needs – mind, body, and spirit. The medical examination will diagnose and treat any medical conditions you may be facing while the psychological examination will determine if you’re struggling with an additional mental health disorder. We’ll take the results of these evaluations and work with you and your loved ones to create a plan of care that meets all of your treatment needs.

Medication management: As our older adult population tends to struggling from a number of health-related conditions, we know that our older clients may be on a variety of medications. We’ll determine if any of your medications are causing adverse reactions and, if needed, change them. Our treatment team will also determine whether short or long-term medication management with antidepressants or other medications may be of any benefit to you.

Medical management: Our elderly clients may require a medical checkup and medical monitoring. Medical monitoring will help us determine if you are having any adverse reactions to medications, struggling with undertreated medical conditions, or require additional interventions for medical diagnoses.

Individual therapy can be a great tool for helping people with late-life depression come to grips with the ways that depression has impacted your life. As depression has such an insidious onset, you may not realize the challenges and thoughts it has caused in your life. You’ll work with your therapist to work through the challenges in your life and develop appropriate coping strategies to meet continual demands.

Group therapy can be a wonderful way for you to bond with other clients who are struggling with similar challenges as it allows you to work together to solve problems, come up with new alternative solutions, and begin to heal. Group topics may include depression, anxiety, coping tools, life skills, stress reduction, recreation, and socialization.

Family therapy may be the cornerstone of late-life depression treatment as it allows your loved ones to learn new ways in which they can help you overcome your challenges and be successful in your recovery. Family therapy will educate your loved ones about later-life depression and ways in which they can support you during this time.

As a holistic treatment program, Valley Behavioral Health offers a variety of additional therapeutic approaches designed to help heal the whole person. These include:

• Arts and crafts
• Recreational activities
• Socialization time

Continuing Care and Levels of Treatment for Late-Life Depression

As the time for discharge grows closer, you’ll work with our care coordinator, treatment team, and family members to create an ongoing plan of care that meets your continual treatment needs. Some of our clients decide that the best course of action for their care upon discharge will include one of our intense outpatient programs. Our partial hospitalization program (PHP) and intensive outpatient program (IOP) both allow for recovery and treatment during the day and a slow reintegration back into your home life in the evenings and on weekends. We also offer traditional outpatient therapy for those who have made enough progress in our inpatient program to be discharged to home. Additionally, our senior adults are eligible for an at-home checkup from our treatment staff to make sure you’re readjusting to your home environment and that your medication is working out to your benefit. Whatever the level of care you need, Valley Behavioral will be behind you 100% of the way.