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Join the Community
Reach out through our website or by phone. We verify your coverage and connect you with the right therapist.
Anxiety
Worrying that won't shut off. Sleep that won't come.
Anxiety in later life often shows up as health worries, sleep worries, or a worry pattern you've had your whole life that's gotten louder. You can work with someone who knows how to help. 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 anxiety can look like after 65.
- Worrying that won't shut off, especially at night.
- Sleep won't come, or you wake at 3am with a racing mind.
- Heart pounding when nothing is wrong.
- Avoiding things you used to do, especially driving or social events.
- Health worries take over the day.
- Calling family constantly to check in, or being checked in on.
- The news, or a doctor's appointment, makes you feel sick.
- I've always been a worrier, but lately it's worse.
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 anxiety often grows after 65.
After 65, the things people worry about often become more concrete: health, falling, family, finances, driving. Loss of control is a recurring theme. Many older adults have been worriers their whole lives and assumed it would calm with age. Often it gets louder. Anxiety in older adults is highly responsive to therapy, and you don't have to have a panic disorder to qualify for help.
10-15%
Older adults experience an anxiety disorder
Source: Geriatric Mental Health Foundation
Most common
Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in adults 60+
Source: World Health Organization, 2023
Highly responsive
Anxiety in older adults responds well to talk therapy
Source: American Psychological Association
How therapy helps
How therapy supports you with anxiety.
Name the worry pattern
Most anxiety in older adults follows a pattern: health, sleep, family, or a specific fear. Therapy starts by naming the shape of it, which often loosens the grip.
Practical tools for the body
Anxiety lives in the body. Breathing, grounding, and gentle movement are evidence-supported tools your therapist can teach you and practice with you.
Build tolerance for uncertainty
After 65, certainty isn't always possible. Therapy can help you make peace with the unknowns instead of fighting them every night at 3am.
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.
6
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 anxiety.
Can therapy help with health anxiety specifically?+
Yes. Health anxiety, sometimes called illness anxiety, is one of the most common forms of anxiety in older adults. Therapy can help you understand the worry pattern, work with your medical team, and stop the symptom-checking spiral.
I've been a worrier my whole life. Is it too late to change?+
It is not too late. Many older adults assume their anxiety is just a personality trait. But research shows that talk therapy is effective in adults of any age. Many of our members say they wish they had started decades ago.
My heart races sometimes. Is that anxiety or my heart?+
That's a question for both your primary care doctor and a therapist. Anxiety can produce real physical symptoms: racing heart, tightness, shortness of breath. So can cardiac conditions. Most of our members work with both their doctor and their therapist on this.
Will therapy help with panic attacks?+
Yes. Panic attacks respond well to specific therapy approaches. Many older adults stop having panic attacks within a few months of starting therapy. We match you with a therapist trained in panic-focused approaches.
Can therapy help me drive again after a scare?+
Often, yes. After a fender bender or a near-miss, many older adults stop driving and lose independence as a result. Therapy can help you decide what's safe to return to, and at what pace.
Is anxiety worse in older adults?+
It's often more disabling, because the worries are about real things: falling, health, family, finances. But it's also highly responsive to support. Therapy is one of the most effective interventions available.
I'm afraid of falling. Is that anxiety or just sensible?+
It can be both. Fear of falling is rational and common, and it can also become the thing that limits your life. Therapy can help you separate the safety steps that matter from the avoidance that's making things worse.
Will I have to take medication?+
Not unless you and your doctor decide that's the right path. Total Life therapists do not prescribe, but they can coordinate with the prescriber on your medical team. Many members manage anxiety with talk therapy alone.
Is anxiety covered by Medicare?+
Yes. Medicare covers behavioral health sessions with a licensed clinician as a Part B benefit. Original Medicare covers 80%, and most members with supplemental insurance pay $0. Total Life is a Medicare provider.
Total Life is a Medicare provider. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or part of Medicare or any government agency.