Photo by Jon Anderson.
Women take part in the Strings & Things group, also known as "Helen's Hookers," at the Hoover Senior Center in August. Senior centers are often 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 they are more 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 of 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.
Hoover resident Debbie Sanders, now a senior citizen, said she remembers when her grandmother died. “I watched my grandfather fade. I watched him fall into himself,” she said. “He didn’t want to put up a Christmas tree. He didn’t go do anything.”
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 for them, 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.
Donna Noland, a Hoover resident and retired social worker who sometimes dealt with people with suicidal thoughts in her career, said she believes a lot of elderly suicide is based on grief, not necessarily over the loss of a person, but over the loss of their health and lifestyle.
Most people are accustomed to doing things such as driving, cooking, favorite hobbies and taking care of their own grooming, but when ailments — either physical or mental — make it so they can no longer do those things, that’s hard to accept, Noland said. Also, if they can no longer drive and don’t get out much, they may lose their social network, she said.
“Getting old isn’t for sissies,” Noland said. “It’s hard to adjust.”
Also, the rapid pace of technological changes means that people in their 70s and 80s are living in a totally different world than the one to which they were accustomed, she said. “That’s hard to deal with.”
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. For those who are grieving, the Community Grief Support organization is a good resource, she said. The 988 suicide and crisis hotline is another, she said.
It’s also important to build connections with others, Dodson said.
Dana Henson, manager of the Hoover Senior Center, said senior centers are a great way for adults age 55 and older to break free from their cycle of depression and loneliness.
“So many of our members tell us that we give them a purpose to get out of bed in the mornings,” Henson said. “They are so good to send cards and place a phone call to others. We have had several who have lost spouses and said they didn’t know what they would have done without the friends they made at our center.”
The Hoover Senior Center has more than 40 weekly activities to promote a positive lifestyle of engagement, physical and mental well-being, community involvement and lifelong learning, she said.
To learn more, go to hooveralabama.gov/451/Seniors.
This story is part of our September series for suicide prevention month. Read our stories on Suicide Prevention Month, suicide rates among veterans and how local schools are addressing mental health issues for more information.
