Another Shade of Blue: Depression in Older Australians
Duration: 68 minutes
Program ID: 716
According to recent research, depression is now considered to be more damaging to health than most chronic diseases. Depression is a common condition that affects all age groups in the Australian community, but is often unrecognised, misdiagnosed or untreated in older Australians.
The signs and symptoms are often seen by health professionals and older people themselves as a normal part of the ageing process. Depression is not a normal part of ageing. It is an illness that can have serious consequences if not treated. The common symptoms of depression, such as loss of interest in life, poor sleep, poor concentration and memory, apprehension and chronic unexplained pain are often incorrectly attributed by health professionals to old age, dementia or just poor health.
Generally older people are less likely to report or even acknowledge being sad, down or depressed than other age groups. This program aims to provide information to rural health professionals on best practice multi-disciplinary interventions for depression in older Australians, including older Indigenous Australians and older people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
It will assist health professionals to challenge some of the myths and promote a better understanding of depression to older people in their practice settings. It will encourage health professionals to promote a healthy and active lifestyle and a positive approach to ageing.
If you wish to order a free copy of Another Shade of Blue: Depression in Older Australians DVD you can do so through the beyondblue resources webpage. You can order by clicking here.
Program Presenters
- Chair: Dr Norman Swan - Presenter of the Health Report on ABC Radio National
- Dr Jill Benson - GP, Director, Health in Human Diversity Unit, University of Adelaide.
- Associate Professor Gerard Byrne - Director of Psychiatry, University of QLD and Royal Brisbane Hospital
- Professor David Clarke - Professor in the School of Psychology , Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine
- Ms Trudi Sebasio - Social Worker, Principal Advisor Indigenous Mental Health, Northern Area Health
- Dr Jane Sims - Psychologist, Senior Research Fellow, Healthy Ageing Research Unit, Monash Uni.
Learning Outcomes
- More effectively recognise, assess, treat and manage depression in older Australians.
- Understand issues relating to older Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse Australians who are at risk of or experiencing depression.
- Understand and reduce stigma associated with older people and depression.
- Undertake informed prevention and early intervention strategies with older people.
Broadcast Dates
This program was first broadcast on the Foundation's satellite network on Tuesday 13 November 2007.
Funding Bodies
This program was produced with funding from beyondblue - the national depression initiative. Funding for the production of the DVD was supplied by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.
Accreditation
This program is accredited for CPD/CPE by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, the Royal College of Nursing Australia and the Australian Physiotherapy Association.
