People have misconceptions about ageing in relation to mental health, most think that all elders are demented which is not true and they have different myths about ageing like; the majority of the older people are mentally ill, older people contribute nothing to the society, to be old is to be sick all the time and a burden to the care takers.

For this cause, mental problems and the associated stigma among adults have been under identified by health professionals and older people themselves and left them not helped yet these older people aged 60years and above make important contributions to society as family members, volunteers and as active participants in the work force.

To clear the misconceptions, ageing is normal and cannot be avoided. It is not true that every old person has mental disorders, some have good mental health and age normally however, many are at risk of developing mental disorders. It is estimated that almost 15% of adults suffer from mental disorders.

It should be understood that there are diseases associated with ageing but not caused by ageing and do not occur in all persons. Some people age normally. Ageing is progressive and inevitable to all people, it begins with conception and continues throughout life until death

Some of the mental illnesses associated with aging include; Loneliness in old age, depression, dementia. These greatly affects their behaviors in a daily life.

This calls for the need of psychologists and psychotherapists that serves the purpose of observing how the neurological and psychological processes of elderly works and provide care for declining brain function to make life better.

Health Promotion

Mental health in adults can be improved through promoting active health ageing and creating living conditions and environments that support wellbeing and allow people to live a healthy life.

Some simple measures

Eat well to reduce cardiovascular diseases and hypertension, do not stress yourself, socialize, exercise to improve longevity. With all these the health of the adults is improved and the diseases associated with old age are reduced.