How do I deal with my aging mother's severe depression since my father died? It's been almost a year and is getting worse instead of better.

Debbi
Also make sure she gets current blood work. Check for vit d, b12, UTI etcetera.
Has she gained or lost weight?
Does she sleep well? Bathe? Exercise? Is she napping during the day? Does she talk about him? She may need a little help picking up her life. See what the drs say.
A year is not that long and it's been less than a year. Not everyone grieves the same.
I'm sorry for the loss of your father.

1. No, it's not old age. It's severe depression
2. Kidnap your mom and take her to the geriatric psychiatrist AS AP
3. Your siblings are trying to take a shortcut
4. Mom's care needs to be equally shared.
5. Do something. She's suffering.
M88

My mother wants t sleep almost all day, not eating well, not interested in anything any more. I mention it to my siblings and they just say is old age. I don't agree with them. She refuses to go to doctors visits to get proper help.
I feel alone and frustrated with my mother's situation. Any advice on how to handle this. She is also very stubborn.

I think it also depends on the persons mental health to start with. My mother-in-law has dementia/alzheimers now, and she had it 8 years ago when her husband (my father-in-law) died, but it wasn't quite as bad then. She was dealing with her own memory issues, then to have the one person who had been her help meet for 60 years die, it was AWFUL. Then as the disease progressed, she'd forget he had died and demand to know where he was. So when I told her the truth, it was AWFUL all over again. Since her #3 son (my husband) live nearest, I inherited the duty to take care of her during that time. I kept her busy and mentally occupied as much as possible for that first year especially. Taking her with me whenever I went shopping, just driving around sight seeing, to the mall etc. Anything to keep her from being lonely during the day, but there was nothing any of us could do at night when she was all alone in the house. Finally we had to move her into asst. living where she was surrounded by people going to and fro and that helped keeping her mind elsewhere. But it's 8 years later now, and even though she doesn't AS A RULE ask where her husband is anymore, sometimes she'll remember him and what happened and it's like being back at square one. Sad.

Get her to a geriatric psychiatrist for evaluation and yes, probably meds.

Medication and counseling. Do it.