One of the difficulties of using depression assessment measures with older adults is that most measures have been developed on younger individuals and they include items assessing factors that are often associated with aging.
For example, some of the characteristics that are often found in depressed people are loss of appetite, less interest in things in general, decline in se.xual functioning or feelings of loneliness. These can be associated in the minds of people with the process of aging. Because of this, many elderly people are not aware of their depression.