Most people don’t like going to the hospital. And why would they? Typically, we associate hospital visits with accidents, unwanted diagnoses and uncomfortable tests and procedures.

What makes the situation more difficult is that one bad experience in the hospital can provoke more anxiousness about future experiences. Yet skipping a hospital visit really isn’t an option, as it can have significant health impacts.

In other words, anxiety around hospital visits is completely understandable. But it’s important to find a way to address it, especially for elderly people, who are more likely to need medical treatment.

If you’re an older person experiencing some distress about going to the hospital, or if you have an older loved one who feels this way, then read on. In this post, we’ll discuss how to handle anxiety around hospital appointments, as well as how doctors diagnose anxiety while you’re in the hospital.

Why mental health in the elderly matters

Did you know that one in twenty older people has anxiety, and one in five has depression? Well, that’s true, according to NHS England. It’s also the case that depression and anxiety often go hand in hand in the elderly – which makes them trickier to approach.

Another issue is that many seniors are already taking one or more medications. That means it’s more difficult to add another medication to the mix without risking drug interactions or worsened side effects. What’s more, anxiety may present differently in the elderly, so doctors may not notice it.

For all these reasons, it’s important to address anxiety as early and thoughtfully as possible. That’s all the more true when it comes to anxiety that’s interfering with visits to the hospital. If an older person ends up not attending a hospital appointment due to anxiety, the effects could be significant.

What is anxiety?

A thesaurus might tell you that anxiety and worry are the same thing. Of course, medically that’s not true. Worry is to some extent a part of life – a concern that may be troublesome but doesn’t affect us physically or interfere with our daily tasks.

When worry gets out of hand, it becomes anxiety. This can happen in a cycle where initial stress releases adrenaline into the body, which creates physical symptoms like sweating. These physical symptoms can cause more stress, making a person feel out of control. Therefore, each episode or cycle of feeling anxious can make the next one feel worse.

Fortunately, there are steps that a senior can take to address and decrease anxiety.

Strategies for managing anxiety related to hospital visits

So, what can older people do if they’re experiencing anxiety about going to hospital? There are many different resources that can help.

Relaxation techniques

Relaxation techniques, such as breathing techniques, are a simple way to reduce stress and anxiety in a particular moment without resorting to medications that could cause drug interactions. Moreover, some take just minutes to perform.

The next time you or an elderly loved one is in a hospital waiting room and experiencing anxiety, try the following breathing technique recommended by the NHS…

1. Sit or stand in a neutral, relaxed position

2. Breathe in deeply through your nose, ensuring that you feel like the air is going deep into your lungs – without straining or making yourself uncomfortable, of course. Try to make the process slow enough that you can count to five while you do it.

3. Breathe out through your mouth slowly enough that you can count to five again.

4. Repeat these steady in and out breaths for five minutes. If you can’t count to five each time at the start of the exercise, you may find that you can count for longer as your body relaxes.

Therapy options

Psychological therapy is a core way of addressing anxiety. Cognitive behavioural therapy is a type of therapy your doctor may suggest.

In cognitive behavioural therapy, patients talk about their feelings and aim to change the way they think about problems, such as hospital visits that spark anxiety. In other words, cognitive behavioural therapy acknowledges that you may not always be able to control what happens to you, but you can learn to control or adapt your own response to things that happen.

Support groups

Another option that might help an older person with hospital-related anxiety is support groups.

When it comes to choosing a support group, a senior will often be faced with a range of options.

Firstly, they could try support groups aimed at mental health issues such as anxiety. The UK charity Mind offers a very detailed listing of how to find an online or local support group centred on mental health.

Alternatively, an older person could choose a support group specifically for the elderly. Age UK has a similarly detailed explanation of how to access an elderly people’s support group either in person or online.

Lastly, there’s the route of illness-specific support groups. If an older person is anxious about medical treatment for a specific condition, they might want to opt for a support group where they can talk with others who have that condition. To find these, just search for your medical condition and the phrase “support groups.” For example, Versus Arthritis has a page on connecting with other arthritis sufferers local to you, plus a forum where you can hold discussions online.

The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale

There’s another reason why addressing anxiety and depression about hospital visits is challenging.

Typically, an older person who’s anxious about hospital visits has a medical condition they’re receiving treatment for. And medical conditions and medications can cause an array of symptoms, including sleeplessness or sleeping too much.

Yet fatigue or insomnia can also be symptoms of mental health conditions. If an older person is sleeping a lot, how can a doctor tell whether the fatigue is caused by their physical illness or by mental illness?

The answer is HADS, or the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. This scale doesn’t consider symptoms that could relate to medical conditions. It diagnoses anxiety or depression only through thoughts and feelings. For example, patients are asked to say how often they feel cheerful.

If an older person is in hospital and feeling anxious about the visit, it could be a good idea to mention your anxiety to a doctor and have it checked out.

Why it’s important to seek help with anxiety

Here’s one last thing that’s important to know about anxiety in the elderly – it can be a symptom of another condition. Infections and dementia are just two conditions that can alter an older person’s mental state.

For this reason, it’s always a good idea to get checked out by a doctor if you are living with painful anxiety about hospital appointments.

How SureSafe helps reduce anxieties

When an older person is in mental distress, whether that’s due to a doctor’s appointment or for other reasons, they are at risk for various reasons. For example, a person with COPD who also has anxiety could begin to find it’s very difficult for them to breathe.

A personal alarm for the elderly can help. For example, SureSafe’s elderly personal alarms typically come equipped with a one-touch button, which does what the name suggests. It allows an older person to call for help by touching just one button. Another helpful feature is fall detection, which ensures that the alarm calls for help after a fall even if the alarm-wearer is unconscious. If a senior’s anxiety causes them to faint or fall, the alarm helps make sure that someone will be with the older person as soon as possible to help.

SureSafe’s alarms offer a variety of other functions, too, such as a speaking watch and a step counter. If you’re not sure which ones are right for you, feel free to give us a call at 0808 189 1671, contact us through live chat, or request a call back.