Photo courtesy of Mary Ellen Estes Senior Center at Heardmont Park.
Senior citizens from the Mary Ellen Estes Senior Center at Heardmont Park go out to eat on a day trip. Senior centers often are considered good ways to build connections and camaraderie and help people avoid isolation and loneliness.
The suicide rate in the United States reached a historic high in 2022, and while nearly every age group experienced an increase from 2021, older Americans fared the worst, according to the National Council on Aging.
Suicide death rates rose 8.1% among people age 65 and older, compared to a 3% increase among all ages, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. In 2022, among the nearly 49,449 suicides that took place in the United States, 10,433 (21%) were attributed to people age 65 and older.
Older adults tend to plan suicide more carefully and are likely to use more lethal means, according to the National Library of Medicine.
As people age, they often lose their sense of purpose and hope, for a variety of reasons, said Cheryl Dodson, executive director for the Alabama Suicide Prevention and Resource Coalition.
For some people, it’s a loss of physical abilities, while for others it may be the loss of a spouse, which can lead to loneliness and isolation.
While our culture is more connected than ever through tools such as social media, there still is a lot of disconnection, Dodson said. “An elderly person can go a week without speaking to someone if their phone doesn’t ring for a week,” she said.
Older adults also tend to be on fixed incomes, and as the cost of living increases, it can create great stress, Dodson said.
Even when loved ones help take care of them, many of those who consider suicide do so because they don’t want to be a burden, she said.
Signs that an elderly person may be considering suicide include giving away belongings, sudden talk of the end of their life, risky behavior, rehoming a pet, extreme fatigue, impulsive spending and alcohol or substance abuse, Dodson said.
“For people in crisis, the most powerful thing you can do is listen,” she said. You don’t have to have all the answers; just giving them a safe space to talk can save a life, she said.
The best advice she has for someone considering suicide is to reach out to someone to talk, she said. For those who are grieving, the Community Grief Support organization is a good one, she said. The 988 suicide and crisis hotline is another, she said.
It’s also important to build connections with others, Dodson said.
Madeline Harris, manager of senior services at the Mary Ellen Estes Senior Community Center at Heardmont Park, said senior centers are a great place to build those connections. The senior center at Heardmont offers a variety of activities, from aerobics to tai chi, yoga, bridge, canasta, mahjong, art classes, dancing and day trips to places such as the symphony, botanical gardens and Peach Park in Clanton.
But some people just come to eat and talk with other people, Harris said. “We’ve created a place that is welcoming, no matter what country you’re from or your political beliefs,” she said. “It’s a safe place.”
Catherine Kessler, 86, of Hoover said sometimes as people age and have spouses and friends die, they begin to isolate themselves. “You can get in a mood where you slowly don’t do anything, and I’m trying to avoid that tremendously,” she said. The senior center gives her something to do and people to socialize with, she said.
Penny Washington, another senior from The Narrows, said her husband died about nine years ago, and the senior center has been a great place for her to come and play bingo and meet with other people. Everyone has challenges they face, and sometimes they think they’re the only ones going through it, but when they get to the senior center they realize otherwise, Washington said. “It’s just a place to come to that somebody else understands exactly how you feel,” she said.
To learn more about suicide prevention and older adults, visit the National Council on Aging website at ncoa.org and search “suicide.”
This story is part of our September series for suicide prevention month. Read our stories on Suicide Prevention Month, the aftermath of a string of suicides at Chelsea High School and suicide rates among veterans for more information.
