Health professionals need to be able to identify depression in older people

Healthcare literature shows that depression in older people, as a mental health problem, is often under-recognized and under-managed. This may partly be the result of multiple pathology, a common feature in later life, masking the features of depressive illness. It may also be the consequence of inadequate use of mental health specialists' skills. As the population is ageing rapidly, healthcare professionals will encounter more cases of depression among the older population. Some therapeutic approaches have been suggested for nurses to adopt. More importantly, nurses and other care workers have to recognize that sensitivity must be exercised in the utilization of these tools and that one approach may require complementing with another. A person-centred strategy is recommended in accordance with the National Service Framework for Older People. In implementing care, consideration of the person and the effects of the environment on the personality should be acknowledged.