-
Behavioral Healthcare for Older Adults: It’s All About Resiliency
It is with great excitement that I step into the role of CEO of Service Program for Older People (SPOP), a position I assumed on July 1 following the retirement of our long-time CEO, Nancy Harvey. It is a tremendous honor to be entrusted with the leadership of an agency that has transformed the...
-
Supporting Seniors: Challenges and Solutions for Tomorrow
As the United States undergoes a profound demographic transformation, the aging population poses unprecedented challenges and opportunities. The proportion of individuals over 65 is projected to swell from 18% today to 23% by 2054, with the number of centenarians set to quadruple. This...
-
Total Wellness at Urban Pathways: Focusing on the Needs of Older Adults
Founded in 1975, Urban Pathways has long been a beacon of hope for those in need of supportive housing and comprehensive care. Today, under the leadership of CEO Frederick Shack, Urban Pathways serves over 3,900 people across a variety of 20+ services and programs in NYC. UP operates outreach...
-
Meeting the Behavioral Health Needs of Today’s Older Adults: Considerations for Innovation
Between 2010 and 2020, the US experienced the largest-ever 10-year gain for those in the >65 age bracket, with an increase of 15.5 million people. According to the US Census Bureau, one in four Americans will be age 65 or older by 2060 (Caplan, 2023). Although today’s expanding older adult...
-
Nursing Home Initiated Discharges of Residents a Critical Issue for Patients with Mental Health Disorders
Nursing homes care for a growing number of adults with mental health disorders. In fact, mental health is sometimes a decisive factor that contributes to placement in a nursing home, causing nursing homes to become the de facto institution for persons with mental illness. Thus, there is increasing...
-
Supporting Changing Needs Through the End of Life for Adults with Disabilities in Residential Settings
Everyone changes with aging, often in invisible ways. You may be surprised to learn that beginning at age 25, there is a slow decline in speed, reasoning, spatial skills, and memory (Salthouse, 2009). At the age of 30, there is a 3-8% loss of muscle mass per decade (Volpi, 2004). By the age of 65,...
-
Overdose Safety in Older Adults: The Critical Role of Zero Overdose
The United States is grappling with an escalating public health crisis as overdose deaths continue to rise, and recent data underscores a distressing rise in opioid misuse and related overdose deaths among older adults. In NYC, there was a staggering 12% rise in overdose deaths in 2022 alone,...
-
Prevention Across the Lifespan: Substance Use Education and Screening Services for Older Adults
While older adulthood is a special time of life, it is also a time when older individuals may face health issues and life transitions. It can be a vulnerable time for mental health and can lead to a change in the way people use substances. New York State has the fourth-largest population of older...
-
Innovative Delivery of Therapy for Older Adults with Depression
There are many changes that take place as we age, but many people assume that depression is a normal part of aging. Instead, depression is best thought of as a response to losses and changes associated with aging, and most importantly – it is treatable! In our work with community-dwelling older...
-
Addressing the Unique Mental Health Challenges Brought on by Aging
Older adults are one of the fastest-growing demographics in the nation and in New York State. There are currently about 4.6 million New Yorkers who are 60 years of age or older and another 4.2 million between the ages of 45 and 59. Individuals with wisdom and life experience are a gift to...
