Taking Care of Your Mental Health

There have been a number of blog entries written on the physical health of seniors. While many of the practices previously outlined can have positive effects on one's mental health as well, this is the first to speak directly on the topic of seniors' mental health.

Contrary to commonly held notions, as a group, seniors tend to have higher levels of mental health than do younger adults. This is backed by research that compared the responses of the two groups when asked how they perceive their levels of mental well-being. Seniors were much less likely to report feelings of depression.

In spite of this, instances do occur. One way to combat these is, not surprisingly, having social engagements. While the most obvious type of social engagement is visiting with friends and relatives, it has been found that activities such as volunteering have similar positive effects on the mental well-being of seniors.

Picture source: http://actionplan.gc.ca/initiatives/eng/index.asp?mode=3&initiativeID=58

For tips on how to begin such activities, one can visit the Ontario Seniors' Secretariat's page on Lifelong Learning and Volunteering.
http://www.seniors.gov.on.ca/en/seniorsguide/learning_volunteering.php

To read more about how social engagements affect the mental health of seniors, visit:
http://www.longwoods.com/content/18716