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| Rethink Mental Illness (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Causes of Mental Instability
While some illnesses draw their traits down hereditary lines, some may be a result of drug abuse, social trauma, physical conditions and concussions/ brain injuries. Senior citizens may suffer from mental-related illnesses as a result of their advanced age or that, coupled with previous drug addictions or head trauma. For better mental health, care should be taken to address such illnesses whenever symptoms exhibit in a patient, regardless of age.
Common illnesses
Dementia, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease comprise some of the illnesses that mostly affect senior citizens, and may set on from the age of 50 years. Mentally ill patients may lose their memory from time to time and or permanently, and or lose their ability to coordinate their mortal functions/ movements, in the long run. Temporary and or permanent amnesia (memory loss) may endanger the life of the person or those close to him or her and not to mention it reduces their ability to take care of themselves, at least when they cannot remember much.
Costs associated with mental illnesses in elderly people
Drugs
More often than not, finances towards mental illness treatment go to drugs acquisition and administration. The drugs may be used to calm the mind or boost a sense of well being in the patient. Patients may need the help of drugs to sleep and rest as well as manage anxieties.
Home Health Care
Mental and or psychological illnesses can be permanent or temporary. Permanent illnesses, especially in senior citizens, may require patients to be taken care of at their own or relatives' homes. Having a nurse/ caretaker monitor the patient may proof more cost effective than having that patient hospitalized/ institutionalized. A major advantage of home health care, over a hospitalization/ institutionalization, is that the patient can live close to his/ her loved ones; which makes him/ her feel more loved.
Institutionalization
Some elderly people, with advanced and permanent mental illnesses, may need to be hospitalized; especially when they have no one to take care of them. The government and other institutions may contribute funds towards setting up and running homes for the elderly, especially those suffering mental illnesses. In these homes, the ill elderly receive basic needs, psychiatric help and monitoring to ensure their safety.
Other Indirect Costs
In addition to finances associated with management/ treatment of mental illnesses, such as home health care and drugs, patients might need to change their lifestyle. The lifestyle change may include a change in their diet, physical or mental therapy and lots of sleep among other things. This change may then cost the patient and his/ her family, guardian, government, insurance money in the form of the person needing extra/ special treatment and care.
Mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, dementia, Parkinsonism, depression and Alzheimer's disease comprise some of the mental illnesses that affect a lot of people. Luckily, some can be treated or managed to give the person a dignified life. Finance implications towards treating or managing mental illnesses include money on drugs, therapy lifestyle change and ample rest; which means the person may not be able to work/ continue working, yet need care.
Author Bio
Sarah Daren is a writer who creates informative articles relating to the field of health. In this article, she offers financial tips to those helping others with mental disorders and aims to encourage further study with a USC Online Master of Science in Applied Psychology.
