If you are responsible for caring for an aging parent or older relative, you may grow accustomed to their occasional grumpiness or glass half-full attitude, but don’t be so quick to chalk it up to the typical aging process.

What to say and what not to say   Approximately, 61.5 million Americans or 1 in 4 adults, experience a mental illness in any given year, meaning millions more are trying to figure out how to support a friend or family member.

As people age many experience medical conditions that cause physical impairment, but mental health is often overlooked in the older population.

Support groups are an important resource that patients and families can tap to help understand and recover from mental illness. In fact, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), has identified them as one of the Ten Fundamental Components of Recovery.