Kupuna fight mental health battle following COVID-19 impacts
You have people who live alone, perhaps don’t have family members. Folks that we call shut-ins, and it’s important that we all take steps to engage.” AARP Hawaii State Director Kealii Lopez has highlighted the issue of social isolation and the impact of the recent COVID-19 virus on the lives and mental wellbeing of our kupuna. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 20% of people aged 55 years or older experience mental health concerns, with most common conditions including anxiety, severe cognitive impairment, and mood disorders such as depression or bipolar disorder. Stigmas around seeking mental health care have eased for Millenials and Gen-Z, but there are ways to help these individuals seek out mental health. Lopez suggests that it's never too soon to start working on your mental health, and that conversations with family caregivers can be helpful.
Publicerad : 10 månader sedan förbi Emily Cervantes i Health
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Four years after COVID-19 rocked the world, our kupuna still battle both the virus and the impact it’s had on their lives and mental wellbeing.
“The issue of social isolation exists now,” said AARP Hawaii State Director Kealii Lopez. “You have people who live alone, perhaps don’t have family members. Folks that we call shut-ins, and it’s important that we all take steps to engage.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control, it is estimated that 20% of people aged 55 years or older experience some mental health concerns.
The most common conditions include anxiety, severe cognitive impairment, and mood disorders such as depression or bipolar disorder.
Changing your mindset for a little bit can motivate you to seek help.
“A lot of times when you look at the issue of depression, often we’re focusing on all of the things that are going wrong,” Lopez added. “Being really mindful and saying to yourself ‘Hey, what are the blessings, basically again trying to improve your own outlook and how you deal with things.”
Stigmas around seeking mental health care have eased for Millenials and Gen-Z, but our kupuna grew up in a different era. Lopez said there are ways to help them seek out mental health.
“A lot of our parents and grandparents grew up in a time, basically you suck it up and to have or require help from other people was seen as a weakness,” Lopez said. “The key piece for a family caregiver is to have conversations with that person and say things like ‘Tutu, I really want to help you but I’m having a hard time, can we go get help together?'”
It’s never too late to start.
“Never too soon to work on your mental health, it’s never too soon to have conversations maybe before your family member even needs caregiving.”
Ämnen: Coronavirus, Social Issues