Aging Support

Aging can be a tumultuous time.

As you age, you experience physical, social, and psychological changes.

No two people age at the same rate, and the aging journey has no universal markers or milestones.

Elders and their families may feel lost in a foreign country without a map to guide them.

People are living longer today, often with several chronic illnesses.

Life can become more difficult to negotiate – activities of daily living may require assistance from family or paid caregivers.

Elders may experience a loss of independence and control over their own lives.

With these changes, the need to make complex decisions for ourselves or our loved ones arises.

There are many options to consider– home healthcare, a move to a residential facility or nursing home, and end of life.

The process can be confusing and complicated.

Longevity has both positive and negative aspects.

Living longer allows individuals to experience more time in retirement and to enjoy their extended families. Along with positive aspects, advanced age also involves a disproportionate amount of loss.

Health suffers. Friends, relatives, and spouses die. Independence is lost.

Loneliness, dependency, loss of support, and connection all place elders at risk for depression and anxiety.

Counseling helps address the losses.

With counseling for depression, anxiety, and age-related issues, elders can find meaning and purpose in life again.

Grief counseling can help elders process the losses they experience and assist with adjustments to new realities.

Life review work and acknowledging unresolved issues in relationships can improve mental health and well-being.

Counseling provides support for caregivers.

Through counseling, caregivers can learn how to manage caregiving stress, better understand dementia and associated behaviors, and learn new strategies for coping with challenging dementia behaviors.

Counseling also helps caregivers grieve the loss of the person they once knew and support decision-making about the future.

Psychoeducation provides accurate information for elders and their families who may have misconceptions about aging and dementia. Information and knowledge can decrease anxiety and make future planning more manageable.

Let’s work to reduce the impact of aging.

I am a licensed clinical social worker with over 20 years of experience counseling and supporting elders and their families’ mental health needs. Experience in private practice and agency-based organizations and having an advanced degree in gerontology (the study of aging) make me uniquely qualified to help.

You are strong, but the demands are very significant, genuine, and often overwhelming.

One piece of advice that caregivers have consistently wished that others had given them is to get help before you reach the point of exhaustion and burn-out!

If you or a loved one are experiencing depression (and anxiety) or are overwhelmed by the challenges that aging or caregiving involve, take that advice and contact me.

Don’t be overwhelmed!

I am here to help and support you. Contact me at (216) 785-9466.