WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |Reach out, Speak Up: Lois's Story of Elderly Depression
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Lois Harvey will never forget the day she thought about ending her own life.
Harvey says, "One time I thought, I should just drive into the river and it would all be over. Then thought, I can't do that. I wasn't raised that way."
Lois cared for her husband Dean; who had Parkinsons Disease; 24 hours a day. She and her family decided to place him in a nursing home.
"I feel into a very deep depression."
Lois was suddenly living alone for the first time in 72 years. Lois's suicidal thoughts put her in an all too common category.
According to the website www.suicide.org, the elderly are only about 13% of the US population, but account for over 18% of the suicides.
Lois's children picked up on her changing behavior. They stepped in to save their mother's life.
"My family came to the rescue. I consulted a doctor who put me on a mild anti-depressant. I i was on for it for two years. I started geting my life back. I started doing the things I should be doing... like getting back out in public."
Doctor Thomas Loepfe specializes in recognizing depression in the elderly at the family clinic at Franciscan Skemp in La Crosse.
He says increased medical burden, the loss of loved ones, and a decline in vision or other senses can all bring on bouts of depression among the elderly, even if a patient has no previous history of mental illness.
Loepfe says, "If people remain isolated thats a big red flag. That they're not seeking out other people. They're going to have a hard time getting over the grief."
Elderly patients also tend to have an easier time accessing leathal means to take their own lives... like prescription drugs or firearms.
"People need to talk about it and I think the more people who talk about it, the more help people will get. And we could eliminate suicide completely in this popuation."
Lois celebrated her 77th birthday this year and is proud to say she's recovered from a deep depression.
She's active in church again, daily exercise, she volunteers and heads up many local clubs.
She's come a long way and plans to keep moving forward, with a positive outlook on life.
"I'm going to keep exercising, keep traveling as much as I can, keep positive and make other people happy and continue on life's journey and i hope i have a long one."
