While Americans of all ages
are anxious about the war in Iraq and terrorism, older adults -- the
so-called greatest generation -- appear to be at the highest risk for
developing emotional and physical problems. The nation's 70-plus population,
who survived the Great Depression and helped win World War II, has long been
known for its bootstrapping bravado. But today, these same individuals,
according to doctors and therapists who work with older patients, are more
likely to fall victim to depression and associated illnesses as the conflict
in the Middle East drags on.
"The people we worry about now are too anxious to exercise, can't sleep,
don't feel like eating -- the secondary consequences of anxiety," says
Jerilyn Ross, a psychotherapist and president and chief executive of the
Anxiety Disorders Association of America, Silver Spring, Md.
In part, that vulnerability stems from older adults having more leisure
time to worry and to "have the TV on all the time," Dr. Ross notes. Beyond
that, individuals age 70 and older, like Mr. Anderson, often have painful
memories of the 1930s and 1940s -- memories that war and terrorism rekindle.
"These people have been holding in frightening things for 50 years that
are just coming out now," says William McDonald, director of the Fuqua
Center for Late-Life Depression. The center is part of Emory University's
health-care arm and housed at the Wesley Woods Center, which has day
programs, including Mr. Anderson's, retirement apartments and a nursing
home.
[snip anecdotal case]
Many older adults may fail to
recognize that they need help. Often, an elderly person will dismiss red
flags of depression -- stomachaches and sleeplessness, among others -- as "a
case of the nerves," says Dr. McDonald. But left unchecked, such physical
symptoms could have serious health consequences.
[snip anecdotal case]
Such fears are understandable among
older adults. "They aren't as mobile as they once were," says Dr. Ross in
Maryland, who has been talking to the director of her own parents'
retirement community in suburban Washington, D.C., about ways to allay
residents' worries. "There's a real anxiety that if something happens, they
can't get out fast enough. It's more of a helpless feeling I think than even
some of the younger people have. They want more security guards, they want
more plans for escape."
