Happy Days

American Fitness, March, 2001

If old age is often referred to as the "golden years," why are so many of our elders unhappy?

"Many older Americans expect to feel sad [as they age]," says actor Tom Bosley, best known as "Mr. C" on the popular 1970s sitcom Happy Days. "I want to help people understand that depression is a serious condition, not something they have to accept as normal and not something they can just get over without professional help."

For more than a year, Bosley has been working with Happier Days in Mature America, a new nationwide program sponsored by Organon, Inc., to help people realize that depression is not a normal part of aging and that clinical depression is a treatable illness. According to the National Mental Health Association, more than 80 percent of patients with depression can find relief with counseling, medication or a combination of both.

For information on the Happier Days in Mature America campaign and late-life depression, visit www.matureamerica.com or call (800) 969-NMHA.