10.09.2020
For R U OK Day Shakti would like to highlight the importance of Mental Health in our elderly communities, some quick facts;
Globally, the population is ageing rapidly. Between 2015 and 2050, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 years will nearly double, from 12% to 22%.
Mental health and well-being are as important in older age as at any other time of life.
Mental and neurological disorders among older adults account for 6.6% of the total disability (DALYs) for this age group.
Approximately 15% of adults aged 60 and over suffer from a mental disorder.
For our elderly community isolation and loneliness are major issues, especially if that individual has been placed in a retirement village or their children and other family have moved away from them. Everyday we keep practise in place to make ourselves feel young, keep youthful and do what we can for our physical health to keep Active. We forget at times though that our elderly are not getting any younger and they don’t have the same opportunities to keep as active we do mentally and ask physically, most because of pre existing illness’s or conditions.
Today I ask that we take on the task of making our Grand Parents feel young again, remind the of their youth and listen just listen to their stories. Ask them what life was like when they were your age, ask them about their own experience in work life, ask them about what it means to be happy, what that word means to them. So please please just have a conversation with your Elderly, your Dada/ Dadi, Nana/ Nani , Tata/Tatiana, Aaji/Aaja, grandpa/grandma.
There is a multitude of worldly experience they can offer us, we just need to start that first conversation and take the time to ask.
Devian: Shakti mental health Melbourne
Artwork by zhk designs (Zoe Harveen Kaur)
