"Online Psychotherapy For The Elderly" - Emily Holland
Many elderly patients with mental-health conditions have a hard time getting to a doctor, due to physical disabilities and cognitive decline. So health providers increasingly are trying a new approach for these older patients: online psychotherapy. “Younger adults benefit from telehealth services, but typically are more physically able to go to appointments,” said Melinda Lantz, MD, vice chair and chief of geriatric psychiatry at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. “Loneliness can increase depression risk and worsen anxiety, cognitive decline and behavioral disturbances, so programs that increase interpersonal interaction of any kind, virtual or in person, are extremely valuable,” Dr. Lantz added. “I think that there has always been the view that older adults adapt less to technology, but the reality is they use it very well and successfully.”
— Melinda Lantz, MD, Associate Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Vice Chair, Chief, Geriatric Psychiatry, Mount Sinai Beth Israel