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ElderCare Services Address “Hidden Epidemic” of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Among Older Americans
As baby boomers, many of whom experimented with drugs in the 1960s and 1970s, head towards their senior years, the number of older Americans with substance use disorders is growing dramatically and with it the need for specialized treatment. Odyssey House’s ElderCare program has focused on the...
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Behavioral Health of Older Adults: Addressing Cultural Issues and Implementing Integrated Care
According to Erik Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development, successful achievement of the developmental task for older age results in ego integrity when one is contemplating one’s accomplishments and perceives oneself as leading a successful life. However, some people are dissatisfied with...
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Barriers to Service for Baby Boomers with Dual Diagnosis
Across the board, people battling mental health issues are far more likely to suffer from problems with substance use than the general population. One-third of all people with mental health issues and one-half of all people with severe mental illness suffer from a dual diagnosis with coexisting...
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Acquiring Financial Skills for Career Advancement
As mental health professionals advance in their careers to higher positions, they will be called upon – particularly in the roles of manager, director, and executive director – to provide additional contributions in the area of financial management to ensure the organization’s continued...
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Aging, Mental Illness and the Years Ahead: A Consumer’s Perspective
Having a mental illness, I try not to burden myself by thinking too much about the future. As I turn fifty-seven this fall, I do worry about how I will be able to function in the years to come. For people like myself who suffer from undue anxiety, there is no shortage of worries. We all face an...
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With Older Adults, The Work Continues
Working with older adults who struggle with substance abuse is extremely complex. Each individual has a different story to tell. Many older adults, who have used substances over the course of their life spans, often have a tremendous amount of shame, remorse, and sadness. Many of these individuals...
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The Best We Can Do
This is a personal story told by a mental health professional. It is an easy story to tell because it is happening as I am telling it. It is the story of two women. These two women are 90 years old and have lived full and productive lives, lives consisting of a myriad of gifts, tragedy,...
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Substance Abuse and Misuse in Older Adults
Some years ago, we met with a group of mental health commissioners in upstate New York to raise awareness of the growing need to address problems of behavioral health among older adults as the baby boom becomes the elder boom. When we got to the topic of substance abuse, one of the commissioners...
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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Issues Among Older Adults
Aging can lead to increased stress and depression, making seniors vulnerable to alcohol and substance use problems. The gradual inability to perform common daily tasks, loss of friends and increasing isolation can weigh heavily on once active, social adults. When coupled with declining health,...
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For Older Adults the Future is Now: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
While I have been caring for patients over 30 years, I have seen many advances and breakthroughs. Most of my work has been with depressive, bipolar and anxiety disorders. As a professor of psychiatry, I have taught many residents and medical students. I have had the occasion more than once to say,...
