Cause

• Elderly people who move in to a nursing home face a number of challenges: The unfamiliar surroundings of the nursing home, loss of independence and autonomy, loneliness and other mental or physical illnesses are factors that may cause depression in some nursing home residents.
  
  

Symptoms

• Depression does not necessarily affect all nursing home residents in the same way. Possible symptoms include noticeably sad moods, changes in personality, changes in eating and sleeping habits, irritability, fatigue, behavioral disturbances, and a preoccupation with death and dying.
  
  

Screening

• According to the AGS Foundation for Health in Aging, nursing home residents should be screened for depression within a short period of arriving at a nursing home, and they should be screened again every six months. There are a variety of tests that can be used to screen for depression among people in nursing homes, such as the Geriatric Depression Scale, the Minimum Data Set and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia. According to research published in 2005 in the journal BMC Geriatrics, the Geriatric Depression Scale, which features questions regarding a person's feelings about herself and her life, is one of the most common screening methods.
  
  

Considerations

• Although depression in nursing homes is common, it may go unrecognized in some cases. The nursing home staff may not be aware of an elderly person's normal personality and behavior; therefore, the staff might not recognize changes that signify depression. Depression among the elderly may, in some cases, be misdiagnosed as dementia.
  
  

Treatment

• According to a 2008 article from ScienceDaily.com, elderly people in nursing homes are more likely to have prescriptions for antidepressants, and more likely to "self-report depression" than elderly people living at home. A type of antidepressant known as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Paxil and Zoloft, are commonly prescribed to treat symptoms of depression. Psychotherapy, engagement in social or otherwise enjoyable activities, and creating a comfortable atmosphere with reminders of home are other possible means of treating depression in nursing homes.
  
  

Warning

• According to a study published in 1992 in the journal "Clinics in Geriatric Medicine," "undiagnosed and untreated depression" among nursing home residents increases the likelihood of the development of dementia. Depression associated with a physical illness or injury can diminish the chances of a full recovery.