Anxiety and Ageing
Emotional Health in Older Adults 
Older adulthood can present new life challenges such as dealing with retirement, and changes in fitness and health. For many worry or low mood can reduce the ability for people to enjoy older adulthood and are common problems. In fact, research indicates that up to 50% of adults over the age of 60 years, suffer from some symptoms of anxiety and low mood. Unfortunately, these problems can be less obvious than in younger adults, but still can cause significant distress and can impact on well-being, health, and life expectancy.
In older adulthood low mood is more often characterised by low motivation and loss of interest in usual activities and less characterised by feelings of sadness, which are more prominent in younger adults. Anxiety in older adulthood is most often characterised by worry about health, finances, relationships, and the future, or fears or phobias of specific situations and objects. For some individuals feelings of low mood and anxiety have been life long, while for others they are triggered by retirement, the onset of medical conditions, reductions in health and fitness, poor social network and bereavement.
With population forecasts indicating significant rises in longevity such that older adults (aged 65 and over) will make up a quarter of the total population by 2051 (ABS, 2004), more research is needed on this population. We are focused on understanding and treating issues such as anxiety and low mood in older adults. Our Ageing Wisely program is designed to identify and treat issues of anxiety and low mood in older adults.
To find out more about more about our programs for older persons, click here.
To find out more about emotional health in older persons, click here.
