“How do you calm an elderly person with anxiety?”
My grandfather has anxiety. How do you calm an elderly person with anxiety?
2 Answers
It really depends on a bio-psycho-social understanding of what the anxiety is about. For example, there are many medical conditions that can masquerade as anxiety (overactive thyroid, for example), or be a side effect on a combination of medications the person may be taking. Social forms of anxiety often involve fears of abandonment, being a burden on others, feeling isolated, etc. There are many psychological reasons why an older person may be anxious. One fear that I often hear about is the fear of death. The Anxiety & Worry Workbook is a useful way to begin to understand anxiety and figure out what steps may be helpful.
The first thing is a psychiatric evaluation to know whether it is anxiety or agitation. Treatment depends on the Dx.
