Silent Struggles: Understanding and Preventing Suicide in Older Adults

Available with English captions and subtitles in Spanish.

For many older adults, emotional pain is silent—and often unseen. Alice B. Uflacker, MD, examines the complex relationship between aging, loss, and suicide risk, offering clinicians practical tools for prevention and support.

Why This Training Matters

Late-life suicide prevention requires both clinical precision and emotional sensitivity. Older adults may minimize their struggles, avoid seeking help, or express despair through physical or behavioral cues rather than words.

This training highlights how clinicians can respond to those challenges with compassion and skill—by noticing what’s unspoken, addressing stigma, and adapting safety planning to the realities of aging.

Through real-world insights and reflective guidance, Dr. Uflacker encourages practitioners to see prevention not just as intervention, but as a connection.

Key Takeaways

Participants will leave this session with practical knowledge and renewed awareness for working with older adults at risk of suicide.

  • Emotional pain in aging populations is often hidden beneath physical symptoms or silence.
  • Recognizing subtle shifts in language, mood, or routine can prevent missed opportunities for care.
  • Collaboration among clinicians, families, and caregivers strengthens safety and connection.
  • Stigma reduction and open dialogue empower older adults to seek support.
  • Compassion and attentiveness are essential tools in late-life suicide prevention.

Together, these lessons remind us that age does not diminish the human need for understanding, dignity, and hope.

What You’ll Learn

  • Understand the unique risk factors contributing to suicide in older populations.
  • Identify subtle verbal and behavioral cues that may signal emotional distress.
  • Distinguish between symptoms of aging and signs of depression or suicidality.
  • Explore how grief, illness, and loss of autonomy impact mental health.
  • Learn how stigma and generational attitudes affect help-seeking behavior.
  • Strengthen collaboration with families, caregivers, and multidisciplinary teams.

Learning Objectives

After viewing this session, participants will be able to:

  • Describe the multifaceted nature of suicide risk in older adults.
  • Implement approaches to identify and address distress in clinical and family settings.
  • Integrate empathic communication and team-based care into suicide prevention for aging populations.

Who Should Watch

  • Mental health professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, counselors, and therapists)
  • Primary care and geriatric clinicians
  • Long-term care and assisted-living staff
  • Care coordinators and public health professionals

Event Details

  • Date Recorded: October 24, 2025
  • Length: 30 minutes
  • Presenter: Alice B. Uflacker, MD
  • Availability: Free to watch anytime

Watch this free on-demand session to learn how awareness, empathy, and collaboration can improve suicide prevention for older adults and those who care for them.

Topics Covered During This Training

  • Why are older adults at a higher risk for suicide compared to other age groups?
  • Do suicidal thoughts sometimes go unrecognized in this age group, even by health care providers or families?
  • How can clinicians differentiate between symptoms that might seem like normal signs of aging and actual warning signs of distress?
  • Can physical complaints or frequent medical visits serve as indirect signs of emotional distress?
  • We know that sometimes people start to feel like a burden as they get older, either on their families or even on medical professionals. What subtle verbal cues might hint that someone feels this way?
  • In terms of warning signs, when might behaviors like giving away possessions be a sign that something’s wrong?
  • What other signs might families notice that suggest something isn’t right?
  • How do you help someone with a terminal illness, such as ALS, who wants to go out on their own terms versus succumbing to the illness?
  • How can grief—like losing a spouse, friends, or even a sense of purpose—affect suicidal thoughts in older adults?
  • What about loss of independence or mobility? In what ways can they contribute to potential despair in later life?
  • How can suicide risk screening be improved in routine primary care visits for older adults? And do you see that happening in practice?
  • With this population, how involved are outside individuals, such as a loved one or a caregiver, in the assessment process, and how can that collaboration support it?
  • Does stigma keep older adults from seeking mental health care? Are there generational considerations that come into play as well?
  • How do you adapt a more standard adult safety plan approach to an elderly individual?
  • Are there gender distinctions with the older population regarding suicide risk?
  • Is it normal for older adults to withdraw socially? When should that become something to worry about?
  • Can you speak to some of the concerns and challenges for families who are supporting a loved one who is aging and might be potentially suicidal?
  • What about communication between various team members? If a parent is in a facility for older adults, what might the communication look like between staff and family?
  • What final thoughts do you want to share about the specific, unique challenges of addressing suicide risk among older adults?

The information discussed is intended to be educational and should not be used as a substitute for guidance provided by your health care provider. Please consult with your treatment team before making any changes to your care plan.

Resources

You may also find this additional information useful:

About the Expert

Alice Uflacker, MD, is a staff psychiatrist in McLean Hospital’s Geriatric Psychiatry Outpatient Service and the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Service.

Her clinical interests focus on expanding treatment options for older adults with treatment-resistant depression, particularly through the use of neurotherapeutics. She is also passionate about teaching and advancing knowledge in the area of rapidly progressive dementias.

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