Summary: Depression is the most common mental illness in older adults. Social isolation and infection prevention measures to contain the COVID pandemic have disproportionately impacted older adults, putting them at even higher risk of depression.
Telemedicine increases access to care in the setting of a pandemic and may improve clinical outcomes for society’s most vulnerable members.
In a pandemic with physical distancing, older adults with depression lack access to or have a fear of seeking out (1) non-pharmacologic therapies and (2) health care providers. Drs. Goodarzi, Watt and Holroyd-Leduc will cover the up to date evidence on how to treat depression remotely in older adults living in the community.
Presenters: Dr. Zahra Goodarzi, BHSc (Hon). MD. MSc. FRCPC, Assistant Professor, Section of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of Calgary; Dr. Jayna Holroyd-Leduc, BSc, MD, FRCPC, Head of the Department of Medicine, University of Calgary; and Dr. Jennifer Watt, MD, PhD, Assistant professor, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
