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Reach out through our website or by phone. We verify your coverage and connect you with the right therapist.
Depression
When the things you used to enjoy don't feel the same.
Depression in older adults is one of the most under-recognized conditions in healthcare. It rarely looks like sadness, and it almost never announces itself. Total Life therapists who specialize in older adults can help you understand what you're feeling. Covered by Medicare. By phone or video. From home.
Lily is Total Life's AI wellness coach, here for everyday support and answers. She is not a medical provider and does not replace therapy.
Medicare-covered
Covered by Medicare and most major plans
You're not alone
What depression can look like after 65.
- Things you enjoyed don't feel the same.
- Sleep changed: too much, too little, or broken up.
- Appetite changed in either direction.
- You're more tired than the day should justify.
- Small tasks feel like big ones.
- Mail piles up, showers skip, plants stop getting watered.
- More physical complaints than usual, without a clear cause.
- I'm just tired is your answer to everything.
These are common experiences, not a diagnostic checklist. A licensed therapist can help you understand what you're feeling without rushing to label it.
Why this is different after 65
Why depression in older adults often goes unseen.
In older adults, depression rarely presents as sadness. It often shows up as fatigue, irritability, memory complaints, or new physical symptoms. Primary care visits are short, and stigma in this generation is strong. As a result, depression in older adults is one of the most under-diagnosed mental health conditions in America. Therapy is a place where what you feel gets taken seriously, even when it doesn't have a name yet.
1 in 6
Older adults experience depressive symptoms in any given year
Source: CDC, 2023
Underdiagnosed
Depression in older adults is missed in primary care more often than in any other age group
Source: American Geriatrics Society
Treatable
Most adults 65+ who engage in therapy report meaningful change within 6 sessions
Source: Total Life member survey, 2024
How therapy helps
How therapy supports you with depression.
Take what you're feeling seriously
You don't need a diagnosis to start. A licensed therapist who works with older adults will listen, validate, and help you sort through what you've been carrying.
Build the smallest possible structure
When everything feels heavy, the smallest scaffold helps: one walk, one meal, one call. Therapy helps you build it, sustainably.
Coordinate with your medical team
If medication is part of your care, your therapist can coordinate with your primary care doctor. Total Life is a Medicare provider, and we work alongside your existing care.
How It Works
Getting started is simple.
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Find Your Match
After a short conversation about your needs, we recommend an experienced counselor and schedule your first session.
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Start Your Journey
On the scheduled date, your therapist reaches out by phone or video, and you begin working through what matters to you.
Why Total Life
Total Life vs. in-person therapy
| Total Life | In-person | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started | Matched with a therapist within 24 hours | Often weeks on a waitlist |
| Where you meet | From home, by phone or video | Drive to an office |
| Specialization | Therapists who focus on adults 65+ | General practice, varies |
| Medicare | Covered by Medicare; most members pay $0 | May be out of network |
| Scheduling | Flexible times that fit your week | Limited office hours |
| Comfort | Talk from your own home | An unfamiliar waiting room |
All 50
States served
200+
Licensed providers
6+
Insurances accepted, plus Medicare
Meet Our Providers
Licensed therapists who specialize in older adults.
TA
Dr. Tanya Alonso
Licensed Psychologist
Licensed in your state, with a master's-level education or higher and specialized training in the mental health of older adults.
IR
Dr. Ian Rivera
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
Licensed in your state, with a master's-level education or higher and specialized training in the mental health of older adults.
PV
Dr. Preeti Vidwans
Licensed Psychologist
Licensed in your state, with a master's-level education or higher and specialized training in the mental health of older adults.
Why Our Clients Choose Total Life
Total Life has served over 10,000 adults and led over 100,000 sessions.
92% of members stay with their assigned therapist.
Dr. Tim Calvin has been a God Send. He is a kind, gentle and humorous man.
Read Reynold’s full storyShow less
Dear Total Life. Thank you for your wonderful service of therapy for the elderly. I had been searching for some time for therapy services for the elderly. I kept running into roadblocks until I ran across Total Life on the internet.
I had been an MSW/LCSW for 54 years and a BSW for 11 years before that. Yes, I will be 87 a few days from now. I just fully retired on March 31, 2026. I found myself drifting in the middle of Lake Michigan for some months until I found Total Life and realized there was a group of therapists reaching out to Medicare patients.
I was really fortunate I had not found someone before Total Life. I have been working on Erikson’s last stage of life and addressing the new life situations that “old age” has brought knocking. I find this a more pleasant experience compared to earlier therapy addressing the traumas and problems of growing up, plus the stress of relationships, children, addiction, financial, education and work.
A giant “THUMBS UP” for Total Life and Tim (Dr. Calvin).
Reynold Wolter
Total Life member · Working with Dr. Tim Calvin · MSW/LCSW (retired, 54 years) · Age 87
What Members Experience
Progress, session by session.
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After three sessions
After three sessions a majority of clients have hope that their situation is improving.
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After six sessions
After six sessions a majority of clients have reflected that actual change occurred.
Take the first step. We'll do the rest.
Covered by Medicare. Most members are matched with a therapist within 24 hours.
Common questions
Questions older adults ask about depression.
How is depression different in older adults?+
Older adults rarely describe themselves as sad. They describe themselves as tired, irritable, or worried about their memory. They have new physical complaints. They lose interest in things they used to enjoy. That is what depression often looks like after 65.
I just feel tired all the time. Could that be depression?+
It could be. Persistent fatigue without a clear medical cause is one of the most common ways depression shows up in older adults. A licensed therapist can help you sort through it, and coordinate with your primary care doctor if a medical workup makes sense.
Do I have to be diagnosed to start therapy?+
No. You can start therapy with Total Life without a diagnosis. Many of our members never receive a formal diagnostic label; they just want to feel better. Medicare covers therapy as a Part B benefit, with or without a diagnosis.
Will my regular doctor know I'm in therapy?+
Only if you want them to. With your consent, your therapist can coordinate with your primary care doctor. Otherwise, your sessions are private and HIPAA-protected.
Is this something that goes away on its own?+
Sometimes mild low mood does. But depression that has lasted weeks or months, or that interferes with sleep, appetite, or daily life, rarely resolves without support. Therapy is one of the most effective tools we have for it.
Can therapy help if I'm already on antidepressants?+
Yes. For many older adults, the combination of medication and therapy works better than either alone. Your therapist will not prescribe, but they can coordinate with the doctor who does.
My family says I should snap out of it. How do I respond?+
You don't have to. Depression isn't a choice, and snapping out of it isn't possible. Many older adults tell us their family means well but doesn't understand, and that the therapy hour is the one place they don't have to explain.
Does Medicare cover depression treatment?+
Yes. Medicare covers behavioral health sessions with licensed clinicians as a Part B benefit. Original Medicare covers 80%, and most members with supplemental insurance pay $0. Total Life is a Medicare provider.
I've never done therapy before. Where do I even start?+
With a phone call. Most of our older adult members have never done therapy before. The first session is just a conversation. We match you with a therapist who specializes in older adults, and we confirm your coverage before you start.
Total Life is a Medicare provider. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or part of Medicare or any government agency.