YOU MAY THINK LIVING HERE IN THE SUNSHINE STATE IS A HEALTHY WAY
TO RETIRE AND LIVE OUT THE LATER YEARS OF YOUR LIFE.
BUT A NEW REPORT IN FLORIDA AND THE UNITED STATES, MIGHT ALARM
YOU.
THE AMERICA'S HEALTH RANKING SENIOR REPORT BY THE UNITED HEALTH CARE
FOUNDATION, LAYS OUT THE HEALTHIEST STATES
FOR SENIORS HIGHLIGHTING THE PROS AND CONS THIS POPULATION IS
FACING.
FOR FLORIDA'S 4.2 MILLION SENIORS, THIS REPORT HIGHLIGHTS
AN EYE OPENING TREND.
IT SEEMS MORE PEOPLE AGES 65 TO 74 ARE DRINKING MORE ALCOHOL AND
ARE SUFFERING FROM MORE DEPRESSION.
SO WHAT'S BEHIND THESE TRENDS?
HERE TO SHARE MORE IS DR.
LUMINITA LUNA, AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI.
DR.
LUNA, THANK YOU FOR COMING TODAY.
THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME TODAY.
IT IS AN EYE OPENING REPORT WHEN IT COMES TO SOME OF THE
BEHAVIORS THAT ARE GOING ON WITH SENIORS.
SPECIFICALLY WITH DEPRESSION, ADDRESS THAT FOR US.
WHY ARE WE SEEING AN UPTICK IN THAT WITH SENIORS?
THIS REPORT SHOWS US THAT THE PERCENTAGE OF SENIORS, SUFFERING
FROM DEPRESSION, HAS INCREASED IN FLORIDA, FROM ABOUT 11% TO
16%.
IN THE LATEST REPORT IN 2019.
SO IN BASED NATIONALLY THERE IS AN INCREASED RATE OF DEPREETION,
OVERALL IN THE NATION.
WHY EXACTLY THIS HAPPENS, IT IS DIFFICULT TO SAY.
HOWEVER, WE KNOW THAT DEPRESSION IS MULTIFACTOR -- MULTIFACTORIAL
CONDITION.
BIOLOGICAL FACTORS, SUCH AS LIVES OF HISTORY MUCH DEPRESSION
OR PRIOR DEPRESSING EPISODES.
BUT THERE ARE ALSO SOME RISK FACTORS, LOW SOCIOECONOMIC
FACTORS OR SOCIAL IETION LAITION OR HEALTH PROBLEMS SUCH AS
CHRONIC PAIN.
THIS WAS A REPORT THAT CAME OUT AND GAVE US A REPORT
NATIONALLY OF SOMETHING GOING ON WITH SENIORS.
SOMETHING I THOUGHT WAS INTERESTING TOO IS IT KIND OF
BROKE DOWN AND SEGMENTED SENIORS BY AGE.
YUCK SENIORS, AGES 65 TO 74, WHICH MANY PEOPLE STILL THINK IS
REALLY RELATIVELY YOUNG, YOU CAN STILL BE ACTIVE IN THOSE AGES IF
YOU HAVE GOOD HEALTH.
SO IT TALKS ABOUT THAT.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK AND WE'RE GOING TO PUT UP ON THE SCREEN
SOME OF THE STATISTICS THAT WE ACTUALLY SAW WITH THIS.
AND SOME OF THE PROS AND CONS, SOME OF THE CHALLENGES AND SOME
OF THE STRENGTHS.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES.
SO HERE WE GO.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES.
HIGH RATES OF USE OF INTENSIVE CARE UNITS, ABOUT A THIRD OF
SENIORS ARE PHYSICALLY INACTIVE, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS YOU
MENTIONED.
LOW PERCENTAGE OF VOLUNTEERISM AMONG SENIORS.
SO IT SEEMS LIKE A SENIOR NO MATTER WHAT YOUR AGE, YOUNGER
SENIOR, OLDER SENIOR, IF YOU ARE ISOLATED THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY
GOOD IS IT?
IT'S NOT.
ONE OF THE RISK FACTORS FOR DEPRESSION.
I TELL ALL MY PATIENTS THAT THEY NEED TO BE ACTIVE.
AND BY BEING ACTIVE I MEAN THAT THEY -- I ENCOURAGE THEM TO BE
PHYSICALLY ACTIVE, ENGAGING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, I WANT THEM
TO BE SOCIAL ACTIVE AND PART OF CREATING THE NETWORKS AND
KEEPING THE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR JOIN A CLUB AND THAT IS
REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE MENTAL HEALTH.
ABSOLUTELY.
WE ARE GOING TO POP UP ON THE SCREEN SOME OF THE RISK FACTORS
AS WELL.
I THINK ANYBODY WHO IS WATCHING THIS, IF THEY HAVE THEIR PARENTS
ARE IN THAT AGE GROUP OR MAYBE THEIR GRAND PARENTS OR FRIENDS
OR NEIGHBORS.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THEY NEED TO BE AWARE OF TO PERHAPS MAYBE
KEEP AN EYE ON THEM TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY OF THESE
DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS.
FOR EXAMPLE, FEMALES ARE AT A HIGHER RISK THAN MEN.
THAT'S TRUE.
TALK ABOUT THAT.
WHY ARE WOMEN AT MORE RISK THAN MEN?
WE KNOW THAT A LOT OF DEPRESSION IS ABOUT TWO TIMES
HIGHER IN WOMEN THAN IN MEN.
WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY IS THAT?
BUT ONE OF THE REASONS THAT IT MIGHT BE THAT WOMEN ARE MUCH
MORE LIKELY TO REPORT A DEPREETION SUCH AS FEELING SAD,
FEELING OVERWHELMED AS OPPOSED TO MEN WHO ARE MORE LIKELY TO
REPORT SYMPTOMS OF A HEADACHE RATHER THAN ACKNOWLEDGING THAT
THEY MADE BE FEELING DEPRESSED.
RIGHT.
ONE OF THE OTHER RISK FACTORS OR ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THE
REPORT POINTED IDENTITY IS SUICIDES HAVE GONE UP 16%.
WHY DO YOU THINK THAT'S SO HIGH?
SUICIDE IS A MAJOR HEALTH PROBLEM.
NATIONALLY AND THE NUMBER 1 RISK FACTOR FOR SUICIDE IS
DEPRESSION.
THERE ARE SOME OTHER RISK FACTORS SUCH AS DRINKING, SOCIAL
ISOLATION, FOR THE ELDERLY POPULATION, IT'S VERY
INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT YOUNG -- THAT WHITE MEN ELDERLY,
ABOVE 85, WHO ARE SINGLE, FOR THOSE, WE USUALLY HAVE A VERY
HIGH RISK OF SUICIDE, UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE TO BE
VERY CAREFUL.
FOR THESE PATIENTS.
ABSOLUTELY.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU COMING IN HERE AND GIVING US SOME OF
YOUR EXPERTISE ON THIS AND KIND OF REALLY JUST HIGHLIGHTING WHAT
WE AS A COMMUNITY NEED TO CONTINUE TO LOOK OUT FOR.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
I KNOW YOU SAID ONE THING TOO, IF YOU ARE FEEJ THESE SYMPTOMS,
GO SEE YOUR DOCTOR, RIGHT?
YES.
THANK YOU DOCTOR FOR WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU BEING
HERE.
THERE THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME.
I'M GLAD YOU WERE ABLE TO JOIN US.
AND IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS OR YOU JUST NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO,
YOU CAN CALLED THE NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION HOT LINE, 24
HOURS A DAY.
THAT NUMBER IS 1-800-273-8255.
AND WE'LL HAVE THAT FOR YOU ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE @YOURSOUTHFL.