Our Mom (77) is suffering from severe depression and we are looking to get her involved with a geriatric psychiatrist. Any advice?

77 is not that old. Take her to a regular psychiatrist.

A general practioner or a nurse practioner can prescribe anti depressants. Most ssri medications come in generic form so the cost is very affordable.

mymedicare.gov

I just found that you can go to mymediare (dot) gov

Click on find and compare doctors, hospitals & other providers.

Under I want to find, click on doctors and other health professionals.

You will be asked for your zip and what you are looking for. I'd make one search for psychiatrists

You will see a button to click on like psychiatry, geriatric psychiatrists. So, click on what you are looking for.

There is a symbol with each that tells you if they accept medicare or not.

When you look for therapists, there are several categories to choose from like clinical social workers etc. clinical social workers are my favorites because they have their feet in both the world of psychology and family dynamics.

Go to psychologytoday website

Press on looking for a therapist on the top bar.

A list will drop down. One list says looking for a psychiatrist. The other list says looking for a therapist.

It will ask for your city or zip. Type in the zip code of where your mother lives.

It will give you a list of those in or near where she lives.

Doctors and therapists who don't take medicare will not take the supplemental insurance. Supplemental insurance only pays if medicare approves and pays something.

If she is able, your mother needs to take her medicare number and go online, create her account on mymedicare.(dot) gov. She also needs you to make you her Authorized Representative. Medicare might have a list of psychiatrists and therapists where or near where your mother lives that take medicare.

Medicare plus the supplement should cover the whole bill unless she has not met her medicare deductible for the year.

You will need to contact the Perry County Transportation Authority to find out if they will give her round trip transportation.

How is your mother dealing with her depression currently?

Where is your mother living? Independent living? Assisting living? Nursing home?

Thank you I will check into that for future reference.

In terms of finding a geripsych who accepts Medicare, I would call the local nursing homes to find out who they use.

I am 64 and have had clinical depression, anxiety disorder for many years. There is something wrong if you have not gotten help from her insurance. Medicare is really bad..yes, but something is wrong if they are not helping. Psychiatrist, for the most part, are only there to see that you get the medication that you need. Sometimes we do forget and psych meds are such that it is important to take every day and at the same time. Also, there is situational depression which simply means a person has a REASON to be depressed. It can be very difficult getting old. Feelings of your life will be over soon, fear, self-worth, loneliness, loss of love, nobody cares anymore, and you just can't do what you used to and miss those things that you could. Hope your Mom will reach a point where she is settled, serene, content, and feeling loved. God Bless

I hope you find someone in your area. I first saw a Geriatric Psychiatrist only one in town here and cash only $200 first and only visit-mom my basically told him to go to h*ll. Now my mom sees a Psychiatrist Nurse Practitioner who is great, comes to the house and takes Medicare and her co insurance.She was recommended through her regular family home physicians group! It has been great especially with the house calls! Mom likes her and she can prescribe if needed.

Not to discourage you from seeking help, but If she is able, a 30 min walk will work wonders. Start out with 10 min and build up. Also check her D3. It's amazing how much of an improvement there can be after starting supplements.

My biggest problem in getting mental health providers for my mom was that most did not take Medicare even with BCBS supplement. This was the case in Mass. and in Ca. She could not afford long term therapy without using her insurance so I paid for her to see a geriatric therapist until she retired and my mom did not want to go to someone else. I know she enjoyed talking with Ann but my mom told me that she did not have much to talk about. I had hoped talk therapy along with her medications would help her but I did not see much change in her depression and anxiety. She has lived in Ca.(SF Bay Area) for three years and I still have not found a geriatric psychiatrist for her who will take Medicare.

Does your mom have anyone that regularly visits her? Maybe she could benefit from some home health care for outings etc.

Just another thought for your Mom, is she health. I have had a terrible bout with depression over the past year due to shingles. Then I developed lichen sclerosis misdiagnosed for 6 months before treatment. Even with mild symptoms illnesses can irritation that leads to depression. I'm 62 and the sole caregiver for my 90 year old mother, so I try to do a lot keep her spirits up. I so very much agree with clearblue, the human connection is everything.

Many geriatricians are prescribing appropriately for persons who have depression. Look in that direction also.

You can go online and look up doctors and their ratings on "Healthgrades.com". "Vitals.com/psychiatrists" will help you find a good doctor in your area. She may not need a psychiatrists, she may need a psychologist. Most of all, she needs your attention, your ears, your understanding, your time and your love. Your visits, taking her places with you or doing things with her like gardening or finding out what she likes to do, will mean more than any psychiatrist can cure and none should be critical "advice" visits. Depression is hard to deal with, I know, I have dealt with it for the past 20 years and though now I take herbal remedies and use essential oils and biofeedback: These are the things that work best: 1) being able to talk to someone who really cares and is discreet. 2)Organic Camomile and Lavender oils and biofeedback which help me most. However, in the past, psychiatrist have at one time or another put me on Effexor, Zoloft, Paxil, Xanax and of those the only ones that seemed to help was Paxil and Xanax. I know now they have other medicines but remember this, they all have side affects and some very serious especially for those over the age of 50.