Respond respectfully and substantively to the response of the mental health topic "Suicide and Aging", below:

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Suicide is a challenging topic to think about, especially if you have had a loved one who has tried or succeeded in taking their own life. I know because when I was young, my grandfather tried it. They lived in Chicago, and my dad had given him a BB gun for protection. My grandfather had grown up without an arm as he had fallen on the railroad tracks as a kid, and a train ran over his arm. Illinois Central gave him a lifetime job. We do not know why he tried, but he failed and went on to live out his life. I remember that I could not understand why he would do that. It can happen to any age group, from the very young to the very old, if it does not happen only in a particular age group. It can happen in any family. Today, we will be talking about suicide as it relates to our aging community. The National Council on Aging statistics found that individuals 85 have a high rate of suicide. It is over four times above any other nation's rate (The National Council on Aging, n.d.). It is believed that more have occurred than those reported. These involve circumstances such as medicine overdoes, starvation, and other causes (Mendoza, 2020).

Some of the back lying causes involve loneliness, especially after the death of a long-time spouse, depression, and chronic illness. This is especially true in men over 75. It is essential to understand that when individuals are dealing with chronic illness, they begin to feel a sense of losing control along with pain, isolation, and a loss of identity. As a person's age gets up in the 80s, 90s, even 100s, they start to realize significant loss: spouse, animals, even their children, basically everyone who used to be important to them is gone. I have a teacher who is in his 80s and just lost his son, and his wife is very sick. I worry about him for this reason. It is challenging to lose everyone you know, and that can be very difficult for anyone (Elderly Suicide: The Risks, Detection, and How to Help, 2023).

Let us now talk about ways to prevent suicide in the elderly. One meaningful way is to have more contact with others. This is very important in that isolation and loneliness, especially after losing a spouse can be very common and they need to feel a connection to others. Isolated seniors can benefit from phone calls, being asked out to events, visits, and video chatting. Pets help with loneliness and depression. There are even robotic dogs and cats for those who cannot care for a real animal. They make noises and movements and have soft fur. Regular screenings and looking for warning signs also aid in getting some of the help they need (Mendoza, 2020).

References:

Clinic, C. (2023, December 12). What to know about older adults and suicide risk. Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/suicide-in-older-adultsLinks to an external site.

Elderly suicide: the risks, detection, and how to help. (2023, April 12). AgingInPlace.org.http://www.aginginplace.org/elderly-suicide-risks-detection-how-to-help

Mendoza, M. (2020, January 29).Why Do The Elderly Commit Suicide. Psychology Today. Retrieved March 1, 2024, fromhttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/understanding-grief/202001/why-do-the-elderly-commit-suicideLinks to an external site.

The National Council on Aging. (n.d.).https://www.ncoa.org/article/suicide-and-older-adults-what-you-should-knowLinks to an external site.