World Mental Health Day 2019: The Age-Limit of Awareness

By Opinion Editor 5 years ago

Bringing a lesser heard voice into the spotlight.

Thursday 10th October 2019 was World Mental Health Day. Social media was inundated with posts about the importance of awareness and compassion for all kinds of mental health issues, and the sincere love and care that greeted any onlooker was tangible. From the ginger-themed skit by Prince Harry and Ed Sheeran to the little quotes popping up on my instagram feed, it truly warmed the heart on a day that was otherwise cold and grey.

The central theme of the majority of posts that we were confronted with seemed to be awareness. And it’s true, the stigma and shame that can characterise poor mental health are both unwarranted and outdated. Every feeling deserves validation, and every person deserves recognition. For all intents and purposes, I felt that this important sense of inclusion was well reflected in the ethos of the day.

Yet suddenly it dawned on me that there was one category of people who I hadn’t heard or seen a single mention of with regards to mental health. Despite the numerous all-inclusive, awareness-conscious voices that I’d heard, one group remained distinctly silent – older people.

Photo: Flickr

The mental wellbeing of older people remains consistently overlooked, which is surprising bearing in mind they are amongst the most vulnerable to mental health problems. Often confronted with ailing physical health, social isolation and loneliness, widowhood, and the bitter loss of independence, older people face many challenges that put them at risk.

Furthermore, society at large is aware of these challenges – however, common perceptions of older people and popular assumptions about old age all culminate to ensure that they are perpetually overlooked. In one study by UCL and the University of Bristol, it was found that many people considered mental health issues in later life not only understandable, but inevitable. These ailments, from dementia to depression, are normalised and therefore trivialised as just another unfortunate side-effect of mortality. The proper recognition of mental health problems in older people is hindered by the extent to which their lack of visibility is engrained. GP’s, for example, are likely to prioritise the physical health of older people over their mental health. In 2013, it was estimated that mental health services for older people were underfunded by £2.3 billion compared to services for younger adults.

Photo: Flickr

This is shocking when you consider the facts. In the UK, approximately 22% of men and 28% of women aged 65+ are affected by depression – however an estimated 85% of those people will never seek help from the NHS. Roughly 60% of people in care homes for the elderly have some sort of mental illness. In addition, whereas 50% of younger people with depression are referred to mental health services, a figure that is still far too low, by comparison only 6% of older people are. People aged 65+ accounted for 30% of those admitted to hospitals in England for alcohol misuse from 2016-7, a figure which has risen from just 14% in 2010-11. The menopause, another topic requiring more awareness, can trigger relapse in those who have suffered from eating disorders earlier in life. The statistics are numerous and upsetting – yet on World Mental Health Day 2019, I did not hear a single one.

So that brings me to my point, at last. The greater awareness around mental health in current times is a wonderful development, but it is important to consider that those who struggle come not only in all shapes and sizes – but in all ages, too. Our generation is increasingly adept at expressing ourselves and our emotions both privately and publicly – this is brilliant, but that does not mean that those who are less able, or willing, to do so should be left behind. Ultimately, we have older people to thank for everything – and we owe them the recognition and the support that they deserve. And with that, I’m going to give my recently widowed grandfather, who still fights the weeds in my grandmother’s garden, a call. I hope that after reading this, you might do the same.

Comments

comments

Tags: , , ,

37 thoughts on “World Mental Health Day 2019: The Age-Limit of Awareness”

  1. Hello there, simply become aware of your weblog via Google, and located that it is really informative. I’m going to be careful for brussels. I’ll appreciate in the event you continue this in future. Lots of folks shall be benefited out of your writing. Cheers!

    Reply

  6. I just could not depart your site before suggesting that I actually enjoyed the standard information an individual provide for your guests? Is going to be back often to check out new posts

    Reply

  10. PBN sites
    We will build a system of PBN sites!

    Advantages of our self-owned blog network:

    We carry out everything SO THAT Google DOES NOT grasp that this is A self-owned blog network!!!

    1- We purchase domains from separate registrars

    2- The main site is hosted on a virtual private server (VPS is high-speed hosting)

    3- Other sites are on various hostings

    4- We attribute a unique Google profile to each site with verification in Search Console.

    5- We make websites on WP, we do not employ plugins with the help of which Trojans penetrate and through which pages on your websites are created.

    6- We refrain from reiterate templates and utilise only exclusive text and pictures

    We don’t work with website design; the client, if wanted, can then edit the websites to suit his wishes

    Reply

  33. This web site is mostly a stroll-by way of for all of the data you wished about this and didn’t know who to ask. Glimpse right here, and also you’ll positively discover it.

    Reply

  34. casibom giriş
    En Son Zamanın En Büyük Beğenilen Bahis Platformu: Casibom

    Kumarhane oyunlarını sevenlerin artık duymuş olduğu Casibom, en son dönemde adından genellikle söz ettiren bir bahis ve casino platformu haline geldi. Ülkemizdeki en mükemmel bahis web sitelerinden biri olarak tanınan Casibom’un haftalık göre değişen açılış adresi, piyasada oldukça taze olmasına rağmen güvenilir ve kazandıran bir platform olarak öne çıkıyor.

    Casibom, rakiplerini geride bırakıp köklü bahis web sitelerinin üstünlük sağlamayı başarılı oluyor. Bu pazarda eski olmak önemli olsa da, katılımcılarla etkileşimde olmak ve onlara ulaşmak da eş miktar önemli. Bu durumda, Casibom’un 7/24 servis veren gerçek zamanlı destek ekibi ile kolayca iletişime geçilebilir olması büyük bir fayda sağlıyor.

    Süratle büyüyen oyuncu kitlesi ile ilgi çekici olan Casibom’un arkasındaki başarı faktörleri arasında, sadece ve yalnızca kumarhane ve gerçek zamanlı casino oyunları ile sınırlı olmayan geniş bir servis yelpazesi bulunuyor. Sporcular bahislerinde sunduğu kapsamlı seçenekler ve yüksek oranlar, oyuncuları ilgisini çekmeyi başarıyor.

    Ayrıca, hem sporcular bahisleri hem de casino oyunları katılımcılara yönlendirilen sunulan yüksek yüzdeli avantajlı bonuslar da dikkat çekiyor. Bu nedenle, Casibom çabucak alanında iyi bir pazarlama başarısı elde ediyor ve büyük bir katılımcı kitlesi kazanıyor.

    Casibom’un kazandıran bonusları ve tanınırlığı ile birlikte, platforma üyelik ne şekilde sağlanır sorusuna da bahsetmek gereklidir. Casibom’a hareketli cihazlarınızdan, PC’lerinizden veya tabletlerinizden tarayıcı üzerinden rahatça erişilebilir. Ayrıca, sitenin mobil uyumlu olması da büyük önem taşıyan bir avantaj sağlıyor, çünkü şimdi neredeyse herkesin bir akıllı telefonu var ve bu cihazlar üzerinden kolayca ulaşım sağlanabiliyor.

    Hareketli tabletlerinizle bile yolda gerçek zamanlı tahminler alabilir ve yarışmaları canlı olarak izleyebilirsiniz. Ayrıca, Casibom’un mobil cihazlarla uyumlu olması, ülkemizde kumarhane ve oyun gibi yerlerin yasal olarak kapatılmasıyla birlikte bu tür platformlara erişimin önemli bir yolunu oluşturuyor.

    Casibom’un güvenilir bir kumarhane platformu olması da önemli bir avantaj sağlıyor. Belgeli bir platform olan Casibom, kesintisiz bir şekilde eğlence ve kazanç elde etme imkanı sağlar.

    Casibom’a abone olmak da oldukça rahatlatıcıdır. Herhangi bir belge şartı olmadan ve bedel ödemeden web sitesine kolaylıkla abone olabilirsiniz. Ayrıca, platform üzerinde para yatırma ve çekme işlemleri için de çok sayıda farklı yöntem vardır ve herhangi bir kesim ücreti alınmamaktadır.

    Ancak, Casibom’un güncel giriş adresini takip etmek de gereklidir. Çünkü canlı bahis ve casino platformlar moda olduğu için sahte platformlar ve dolandırıcılar da görünmektedir. Bu nedenle, Casibom’un sosyal medya hesaplarını ve güncel giriş adresini düzenli olarak kontrol etmek gereklidir.

    Sonuç, Casibom hem güvenilir hem de kar getiren bir casino sitesi olarak dikkat çekiyor. Yüksek bonusları, geniş oyun seçenekleri ve kullanıcı dostu taşınabilir uygulaması ile Casibom, casino hayranları için ideal bir platform getiriyor.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

THE STAND