The John Tung Foundation yesterday said that many elderly people suffering depression are often neglected, with the symptoms being put down to being common effects of aging, and that based on related studies clinical visit rates of elderly people are relatively low compared with the prevalence of depression.
The foundation’s chief executive officer Yau Sea-wain (姚思遠) said that according to a survey the foundation conducted in 2010, about 11.8 percent of elderly people have experienced depression, while statistics from the WHO last year estimate that the overall prevalence of depression is about 5 percent.
“Fatigue, memory loss and physical discomfort are the three major warning signs of depression in the elderly,” Taiwanese Society of Geriatric Psychiatry standing director Huang Chung-cheng (黃宗正) said.
The symptoms are manifested through physical ailments, such as becoming tired easily or complaining about pain in different parts of the body.
Saint Mary’s Hospital Luodong superintendent Chen Yung-hsing (陳永興) said that “family members often mistake depression in elderly people for merely physical deterioration or the effects of aging,” because elderly people often display symptoms common to both depression and dementia at the same time.
Huang said that a conservative estimate based on research results showed that the prevalence of depression in elderly people could be about 12 percent, accounting for 310,000 people in Taiwan.
However, Chen said the clinical visit rate for depression among elderly people at Saint Mary’s Hospital Luodong only accounted for 1.3 percent of total clinical visits for depression, indicating that many people have still not received the care and treatment they need.
As symptoms of depression often occur when the seasons change, people should pay attention to elderly family members during the forthcoming Lunar New Year holiday, because they may feel especially lonely at home when other family members get together for outings, Chen said.
Huang suggested that family members spend more time listening to how elderly people feel, and seek medical assistance when needed.
“Caregivers often carry heavy physical and mental burdens from taking care of elderly people with depression, and may also show symptoms of fatigue, such as crying or other displays of emotion,” Huang said.
He said caregivers should pay attention to their own wellbeing and work on reducing their stress levels.
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
IDENTITY SHIFT: Asked to choose to identify as either Taiwanese or Chinese, 83.3 percent of respondents chose Taiwanese, while 8.4 percent chose Chinese An overwhelming majority of Taiwanese, 71.5 percent, think that Taiwan should compete in international competitions under the name “Taiwan,” a Taiwan Brain Trust survey published yesterday showed. Referring to Taiwan’s victory last month at the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12, the survey results showed that 89.1 percent of respondents said that Taiwan’s exceptional performance in sporting competitions furthers national unity. Only 18.8 percent of respondents supported Taiwanese teams’ continued use of the name “Chinese Taipei” in international sporting competitions, the survey showed. Among Taiwan’s leading political parties, the name “Team Taiwan” was supported by 91.1 percent of self-identified Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supporters,
RSS