COVID causing depression in elderly

by Shiela Crisostomo (The Philippine Star, 21 Jun 2020

MANILA, Philippines — Not only are the elderly more prone to contracting the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) but they are also vulnerable to bouts of depression and anxiety which are now associated with the illness, according to the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation (NGF).

In an interview with “The Chiefs” on One News, NGF founder Jean Goulbourn said there has been a 220 percent increase in the calls being received by the foundation’s 24/7 hotline, the HOPEline, over the past four months.

She noted that currently, they are receiving some 72 to 138 calls per day and half of these calls are due to “COVID-19 lockdown and COVID-19 mortality.”

“We’re dealing with different age groups but interestingly, we never had such a big group of seniors calling us. Right now we have about 32 percent seniors calling,” she added.

According to Goulbourn, these seniors “feel loneliness” and are no longer at the “healthier peak of their lives.”

She underscored that during this time of pandemic, it is important for the elderly to be shown that they are loved and cared for. “It’s shocking that about 25 to 30 percent of our callers are widows who lived alone… It’s just about being mindful about our relatives. Call them more often.”

Goulbourn admitted that she is also living “quite alone” and being a widow herself, it “meant a lot to me that my sisters are calling from abroad just to check how I was.”

She added that having “kindness and thoughtfulness within a family” is important, especially “if the calls will come from little children.”

“I hope the parents will remember their parents between 60 to 85 years old,” she said.

Aside from depression and anxiety, COVID-19 can also cause a panic attack or a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause.

To help ease panic attack, a caller is taught the “breathing exercise” which means doing five seconds of very close intake of breath and five second holding it to have carbon dioxide in the brain. After this, 10 seconds of slowly releasing the breath.

Goulbourn said the crisis can also lead to sleeplessness which can be addressed by having less exposure to television and video games and less radiation from the phone.

She also warned against allowing children to play video games for long periods because it could lead to “video addiction” and eventually sleeplessness or insomnia.

Because of the surge in the number of consultations, Goulbourn noted that the foundation now needs support to be able to expand HOPEline.

Currently, the foundation has four teams of responders and five doctors. The doctors are available for a 20-minute consultation call for free.

“The foundation pays a doctor an honorarium for a 20-minute assessment and then it’s up to them (callers) to ask the doctors if they want professional treatment via phone, Facebook,” she added.