the canadian coalition for seniors' mental health has launched first-ever clinical guidelines for anxiety in older adults
the new national guidelines help support health care providers with assessment and treatment and educate older adults and care partners on the symptoms of anxiety and how to know it's time to seek help.
2 minute read
if anxiety is affecting your daily life, it's important to know when — and who — to ask for help. getty
anxiety is not a normal part of aging and misconceptions about anxiety in older adults have led to it being underrecognized and undertreated. it is a treatable mental health condition and there are many evidence-based interventions that can be helpful. ccsmh has developed first-of-its-kind, national guidelines for anxiety in older adults to help support health care providers with assessment and treatment.
information for older adults and care partners
getting older brings about a lot of changes, some that are positive and some that are stressful. in small amounts, stress and anxiety can help you to stay alert to risks and motivate you to take action. however, longer lasting anxiety can be a warning signal about your stress level.
anxiety symptoms, such as worry, nervousness, or panicky feelings, which last for weeks or months at a time, and which get in the way of living your life, are not a normal part of getting older. it is important to know when — and who — to ask for help.
there are a number of changes with aging that can lead to anxiety:
- retirement
- moving from your home
- changes in finances
- change in your health or the health of someone you care about
- death of a spouse, family member, or close friend
- caring for a spouse, family member, or close friend
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the three categories of anxiety symptoms in older adults:
- thoughts (such as worries or going over the same thoughts again and again without action)
- behaviours (such as avoiding situations that make you anxious)
- physical sensations (the feelings in your body that come with anxiety, such as your heart pounding, feeling tense, nauseous, or restless)
anxiety can be something you have lived with all your life, or it can be a new problem that develops in older age. in older adults, anxiety can sometimes get worse because of medications or health issues.
when is anxiety a problem?
anxiety becomes an issue when:
- the anxious thoughts and feelings last more than a few days each week
- your usual ways of coping with stress don’t seem to work or you are trying to cope in ways that are unhealthy for you
- you start to avoid people and activities that you previously enjoyed
- you have changes in your sleep or usual habits
fortunately, there are people and treatments that can help. if you or someone you care about is having problems with anxiety, one place to start is to talk to a health professional, such as a doctor, nurse, psychologist, pharmacist, social worker, or physiotherapist.
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the ccsmh has engaged with older adults and care partners, health care providers, and community organizations across canada to develop first-ever clinical guidelines and tools to address the stigma around aging and mental health, empower older adults to take steps to support mental health and well-being, and establish best practices for anxiety in older canadians.
to read more about the clinical guidelines and find additional clinical tools to help support older adults in your care, click here.
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