I have tried to think of ways to begin talking about this topic without being too heavy handed or too flippant. The topic is suicide. I know that most of the people reading this will stop now and see what Bruce has to say about financial planning or Tamara about cars. Still, it is so essentially an older adult issue that I can’t let too much time pass without addressing it here.
An older adult completes suicide every 100 minutes in the US. Notice I don’t say he is successful. It is not a success. A completed suicide is a failure of the people and the environment around the person to hear and respond to the signals he’s given that he is at risk. A vast majority of older adults who die by their own hand have visited their doctor in the last month. Very few older adults will not tell someone, in some way, that they are thinking about killing themselves. Sometimes they start to give everything away, make arrangements for pets, and cancel services like meals on wheels or cable TV. Nearly all will admit this is their plan if asked directly.
Some groups are at more risk than others. African-American women seem to be protected by an unknown factor, White men, Asian women, and some other older ethnic/gender groups are more often at risk for suicidal behaviors.
There is basic information that everyone who knows older people should have.
If you ask someone about suicide, they won’t be more likely to do it. You can’t talk someone who is not suicidal into being at risk.
If someone talks about suicide they are at risk. It is a myth that people who talk about it never try it.
Alcohol is less often a factor for older adults and suicide than for younger folks.
Multiple changes, especially losses, will often be related to thoughts of suicide.
If someone you know tells you that they are thinking about suicide you or they can call 1(800) 273-8225 to get help. I’ll write something funny next week.