Led by U of C psychology professors Dr. Candace Konnert and Dr. Keith Dobson, the three-year research project looked at 44 seniors with an average age of 80 who were exhibiting early signs of depression. Half took part in a simple group-based therapy program and half served as a control group.

“At the end of the program, those in the therapy group were significantly less depressed than their counterparts in the control group,” Konnert says. “It indicates to us that a potentially cost-effective and healthier alternative than medication is available, even within the limited confines of a nursing home.”

Although it has been well established that people with depression respond well to psychosocial interventions like cognitive therapy, until now those interventions have never been tested among our most elderly nursing home residents. “Treatment in the nursing home often involves giving anti-depressant medication, which is important but may have side effects,” Konnert says. This research clearly indicates that psychosocial interventions have value in terms of preventing and treating depression.

Statistics show that as many as 50 per cent of nursing home residents exhibit symptoms of depression. Those include sadness, loss of pleasure in activities, lack of appetite, loss of sleep, withdrawal and feelings of fatigue. Many of those symptoms also accompany physical illnesses, making depression difficult for care providers to diagnose.

In the U of C study, seniors were encouraged to speak about the stresses they were experiencing and given strategies for dealing with their own negative thoughts. They also kept a ‘mood diary’ and learned to participate in activities they enjoyed before their moods began slipping. Some of the things they liked to do included visiting with friends, reading, going on an outing, meeting someone new, taking a nap, writing a letter, playing games, doing handiwork, exercising or having a snack.

If the early symptoms of depression are ignored, they can grow into a full-blown clinical disorder in which people feel extremely sad and may withdraw from interaction with others.

Much of the research to date on depression in seniors has focused on those individuals living in the community. “People of advanced age who reside in nursing homes are a very vulnerable group and a very neglected group in terms of really thinking about their mental health needs,” Konnert says.

Carewest, along with the Bethany Care Society, partnered with the U of C in the study, with residents at their long-term care centres participating. The potential for residents to become depressed is well recognized among caregivers and much is being done to help minimize that potential. At Carewest, that starts with the admission process, in which a resident’s needs – including combating the potential for depression – are considered and reviewed. Activities are tailored as part of the resident’s Care Plan, which looks at all aspects of their life and behaviour.

Activities may include appointing a volunteer to spend extra time talking one-on-one with the resident, linking them with other residents with similar interests, enrolling them in on-site programs such as painting, crafts or music appreciation, or encouraging them to maintain outside ties with their family, community or church.

Counselling is also available through the Calgary Health Region's Mental Health Consulting Services and its Palliative Care Consulting Services, which has expanded to help not only the terminally ill, but also seniors with chronic illnesses.

In the coming decades, seniors will comprise a larger share of the Canadian population, growing from 3.5 million people in 1996 to an estimated 6.9 million by 2021, according to the federal government.

Liza Stelmach, a doctoral student in clinical psychology, also took part in the project, which was supported by the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research. The researchers will present their findings at the annual conferences of the Gerontological Society of America and the American Association of Behavioural Therapy this November.

Dr. Konnert will be available for media interviews today, from approximately 10 am-noon at Carewest’s Royal Park Nursing Home, 4222 Sarcee Road S.W. Media will be able to get pictures and video of residents engaged in an exercise class.