Depression

• Checklist - 10 Signs That Your Parent Might Have Parkinson's Disease

  10 signs of Parkinson's are explained in detail to help you figure out whether your parent might have Parkinson's disease.

• Article - Parkinson's Disease: A Beginner's Guide

  This beginner's guide to Parkinson's disease helps you understand your parent's diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment options.

• Article - Parkinson's Disease: A Guide to Mind and Mood

  A guide to the cognitive and behavioral symptoms common in Parkinson's disease, and how they can be treated.

• Interview - Talking With Jacqueline Marcell

  Jacqueline Marcell, author of "Elder Rage, or Take My Father ... Please! How to Survive Caring for Aging Parents," on how to cope with Alzheimer's.

• Article - When One Parent Is Caring for the Other

  If one of your parents is caring for the other, your involvement is essential to help your healthy parent avoid burnout.

• Article - What to Do When Your Parent Experiences Depression After a Heart Attack

  Understanding the emotional aftermath of your parent's heart attack, including the warning signs of depression and what you can do to help.

• Article - 8 Ways to Help Your Parent Stay Active and Engaged

  A variety of reasonably priced programs and services can help elderly people become more active and engaged. Making a good match for your parent depends largely on his condition and needs.

• Article - What to Do When Your Parent Experiences Depression After a Stroke

  Understanding the emotional aftermath of a stroke, including the warning signs of depression and what you can do to help your parent.

Blog Posts

• Blog Post - Depression Increases Risk of Stroke in Elderly

  Depression and first stroke may be linked in the elderly. Learn more about the warning signs of depression.

• Blog Post - Giving up Moderate Drinking Could Cause Depression

  Stopping moderate drinking may lead to depression. If you or your parent has to stop drinking, look out for signs of depression.

• Blog Post - Elder Suicide: Know the Warning Signs

  Seniors have the highest rates of suicide of any age group. Know the suicide warning signs if someone you love is depressed or at risk.

• Blog Post - My mother says she's lonely, and it's heartbreaking for me to hear her crying at night. What can I do to help her?

  My father died seven years ago, and for quite some...

• Blog Post - Depressed? Try Sleeping It Off

  Research shows insomnia prolongs depression in some elderly people. Tips to help your parent sleep better -- and help her overcome depression.

• Blog Post - Aging Artfully - Part II

  Research shows a powerful link between creativity and healthier, happier aging.

• Blog Post - Are You Worried Sick About Your Parent's Heart Disease?

  Caring for someone with heart disease may increase your risk of heart disease and depression. Consider these tips for better heart health.

• Blog Post - Dementia Caregivers: You Really Ought to Talk About It

  New study shows one on one therapy helps reduce the burden on caregivers and their depressive symptoms.

• Blog Post - Talking Your Parent Into Trying Talk Therapy

  Talk therapy can help older people beat depression. Here are some practical guidelines for talking your parent into giving psychotherapy a try.

• Blog Post - Should All Stroke Patients Take Antidepressants?

  Should all stroke patients take antidepressants? New research shows antidepressants may prevent depression after a stroke.

• Blog Post - 5 Surprising Ways to Use Memories to Help People With Memory Loss

  Reminiscence therapy improves mood and communication in people with Alzheimer's and dementia by prodding deeply-held memories.

• Blog Post - Falling Down and Feeling Down: What's the Connection?

  Falling down and feeling down linked in elderly, say researchers from Down Under.

• Blog Post - It Takes a Neighborhood (Part II)

  Taking care of an elderly neighbor can enrich the lives of everyone involved.

• Blog Post - Help! My mom's in hospice and my sister and I are arguing about her funeral.

  Our mom has said she wants to be cremated "so you don...

• Blog Post - Memory Trouble? Don't Assume It's Alzheimer's

  Memory loss isn't always Alzheimer's: a review of types of memory loss

• Blog Post - Solutions for Seniors Who Struggle to Get Enough Zzzs

  Sleep problems are common among the elderly; find ways to help your parents get a good night's rest.

• Blog Post - Link Between Depression and Heart Disease

  ScienceDaily offers a sneak peek at the findings of...

• Blog Post - Caregiving: Does it Have to Be This Hard?

  A summary of caregiving in the U.S. in 2008: some statistics and how it got this way

• Blog Post - Should You Put Type 2 Diabetes to the Test?

  Researchers are asking whether daily self-monitoring is worth the effort and expense.

• Blog Post - Alzheimer's Caregivers' #1 Challenge

  A new survey of Alzheimer's caregivers reveals that daily care isn't the worst of it. Grief is.

• Blog Post - My father seems interested in moving in with me -- and I don't want him to.

  At 81, my dad has Parkinson's, three heart stents,...

• Blog Post - Music Hits the Right Note for Stroke Patients

  New research shows that listening to music for a couple of hours a day can help patients recover from stroke.

• Blog Post - Why People With Dementia Need Daily Exercise

  Older people with dementia who exercise daily showed improvements in mental function. Simple exercises for those with dementia to get started.

Questions & Answers

• Question - How do I get my father, who's depressed about being treated for cancer, to talk about how he's feeling?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I help boost my mother's mood after her bypass surgery?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I tell if my parent has Alzheimer's or depression?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and a Community Member

• Question - How can I get my father to stop yelling at me?

  My father is miserable, and taking it out on me.

• Question - My dad eats lots of sweets and doesn't like to drink water--could he have diabetes?

  Find out if a sweet tooth or a lack of thirst are symptoms for type 2 diabetes.

• Question - My father-in-law is depressed and has no daily activities to occupy him.

  This question has been answered by three Community Members

• Question - How can I encourage my listless mom to bathe?

  Elderly people sometimes refuse to bathe out of modesty or fear of falling. What can you do to help when when a parent refuses to bathe or shower?

• Question - Do Alzheimer's patients typically take depression medication?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - My mother has been depressed since her cancer diagnosis; how can I persuade her to see a therapist?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and a Community Member

• Question - Since her cancer diagnosis, my mother has seemed very depressed. Does she need professional help?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What can I say when my parent with cancer falls into self-pity?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I comfort my dying mother who is still holding on for dear life?

  Help with dealing with feelings of helplessness while witnessing a death often come from those close at hand: hospice workers.

• Question - My mom, who cares for my dad with Alzheimer's, has developed a gambling problem. How can I help?

  My father has Alzheimer's and my mother is his primary caregiver. She has developed a serious gambling problem. How can I help?

• Question - What do I do when my mother seems to have lost the will to live?

  Redirectlng your mother's time and attention to other people and activities may help give her a new zest for life.

• Question - How do I deal with my mom, who has Alzheimer's, refusing care and assistance?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and two Community Members

• Question - What can I do to encourage my father to work on recovering from his stroke?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Since he lost his license, my father seems to have lost all interest in life. What can I do?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Did bypass surgery change my father-in-law's personality for the worse?

  Can heart surgery change someone's personality? My father-in-law was a very mellow, easygoing person until he had bypass surgery.

• Question - How can I help an elder die?

  Make sure the older person's desire to die is real. Then read up about it.

• Question - Why is my mother so angry and abusive after her stroke?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What can be done about excessive sleepiness after a stroke?

  I had a stroke, and now I'm experiencing excessive sleepiness. What causes sleepiness after a stroke and how can it be treated?

• Question - How can I get help for my ill sister, who doesn't have any family nearby?

  How can I find care for my sister, who is ill and on her own, with no family members nearby to give her a hand?

• Question - Answer to getting my able-bodied mom to bathe?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do I help deal with the frustration I feel with my siblings over our mother's care?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - my husband doesnt understand severe fibromyalgia and how my...

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - What can I do to help my mother stop crying all the time?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do we handle my mom when my dad doesn't want to care for her anymore?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Why are my father's abilities improving and then regressing since his stroke?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do you deal with a parent that is unable to communicate?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How can I carve out time for myself without feeling guilty?

  I"m my mother's caregiver, and I feel guilty when I take time for myself.

• Question - How can I encourage my mother to be more independent after her stroke?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Does stress affect my parent's blood sugar levels?

  My mom is diabetic and has a tendency to get upset and anxious. Does stress have an impact on her blood sugar level, and if so, what can I do to help?

• Question - How do I help my mother cope with the side effects from being administered Adriamycin, more than five years ago?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - My father has colon cancer. What's the best way to deal with his angry outbursts?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

News

• News - Damp, Moldy Homes May Cause Depression

  THURSDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- People who live...

• News - Depression May Be World's Most Disabling Disease

  FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- When compared with...

• News - Mental Health Woes Strike Half of Cancer Patients

  MONDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Half of all people...

• News - Treatment Programs Benefit Depressed Workers

  TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Employees struggling...

• News - Eyeglasses Upgrade Helps Elderly Battle Depression

  MONDAY, Nov. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Correcting nursing...

• News - Inflammation Can't Explain Depression's Link to Heart Disease

  THURSDAY, Nov. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Depression is...

• News - Diet Drug Rimonabant Tied to Depression, Anxiety

  THURSDAY, Nov. 15 (HealthDay News) -- People who take...

• News - Relatives of Parkinson's Patients at Higher Psychiatric Risk

  THURSDAY, Dec. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The close relatives...

• News - How to Spot, and Beat, the Holiday Blues

  SATURDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- For some older...

• News - Treating Depression Cuts Diabetes Death Risk

  FRIDAY, Dec. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Treating depression...