Mental Health month was in May and Mental Health Day will be on Oct. 10, 2026. But I don’t see why every month and day of the year is not designated mental health day.
Mental health is a problem every day of the year, not only in the United States, but throughout the world.
By 2030, one in six people in the world will be over 60, and the number of people over 80 will triple by 2060. Mental health affects all ages, but particularly the elderly. With those statistics, 17 percent of individuals over 70 have some type of mental health problem.
Many are depressed and have anxiety and different forms of dementia, made worse by reduced mobility, chronic pain, and frailty. Some of these situations require some type of long-term care.
There are only a few families in the United States that don’t have someone in their family with some form of mental health problems. These problems put an amazing amount of strain on the rest of the family.
As I head for 82 in September, it frightens me as to what tomorrow will bring. Things that were easy in the past are now difficult and become time consuming problems. I know that I am similar to many older adults, when I move slowly from one location to another. The way I look at it, the important factor is to get and do what I need, rather than move too fast and have problems.
The biggest factor in moving past 75 is to have something to do and someone who cares. Like any period in our lives the two biggest problems that we all have are social connection and financial responsibility.
Lacking social connection is to live without anyone, no support, no communication, no interaction; a life by yourself; without anyone who cares can be so difficult. I guess that is why people adopt cats and dogs; they are looking for someone to be part of them.
The financial part can be just as difficult. So many elderly do not know where their next dollar is going to come from. Their credit card becomes their main resource of payment, which can add up to more problems.
Today, in the United States, credit card debt is around $1.26 trillion. 17 percent interest each month on credit card debt is not unusual. Much of the debt is by senior citizens.
Many senior citizens are able to live in nursing homes or retirement communities. Other seniors have home health care, but many have no one to give them support.
If you know someone in that situation, a little individual support will go a long way. Encourage them to join some type of support group or volunteer program. Churches can be a helpful source.
The key to life is that we all need to help each other.
