PTSD in older adults can contribute to frailty, a state of diminished physiological resilience that increases vulnerability to falls, injuries, and other health complications. PTSD is frequently missed because older adults often do not seek help for PTSD symptoms and instead present with physical complaints, sleep disturbances, or memory issues. These problems can be caused by, worsened by, or maintained by PTSD. A feasibility study of EMDR therapy in adults aged 60 and over found reductions in frailty and improvements in overall quality of life. Improvements occurred regardless of whether EMDR was delivered for three, six, or nine months, and the frailty reduction was unexpected given typical expectations of trauma therapy outcomes.
"PTSD is often overlooked in older adults because they rarely seek help specifically for PTSD symptoms. Instead, they present with physical complaints, sleep disturbances, or memory issues, which tend to attract primary attention. PTSD can contribute to, exacerbate, and maintain these problems."
"Frailty refers to a state of diminished physiological resilience, increasing vulnerability to falls, injuries, and other health complications. New research highlights a crucial connection between mental and physical well-being. It demonstrates how addressing trauma can not only alleviate post- traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD) symptoms in older adults but also significantly reduce a major health concern in this population: frailty."
"The study found that participants undergoing EMDR therapy demonstrated a reduction in frailty alongside improvements in their overall quality of life, regardless of whether participants received EMDR for three, six, or nine months. Gielkens notes that the finding was unexpected. "We tend to associate trauma therapy outcomes mainly with psychological improvements. However, the observed reduction in frailty, a broader measure""
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