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Caring for the Caregiver
Caregiving is a labor of love but can affect with extreme challenges both physically and emotionally. It does not matter if you are an individual working as a professional caregiver for an agency or by yourself and have this specific role every day or a partner or relative that had become caregiver...
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Leading the Way in Older Adult Mental Health: Recommendations for New York State
In 2005, New York State enacted the Geriatric Mental Health Act, the first act of its kind in the nation. With this legislation, New York demonstrated a significant commitment to older adults with mental health challenges, allocating $2 million per year in funding for statewide geriatric mental...
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Approaching the Tipping Point: It’s Time to Re-Think Mental Health Care for Older Americans
The statistics are clear: Older adults are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population – in fact, Americans over age 65 will soon outnumber children. Data indicate that older adults are at increased risk for mental health disorders, and elder suicide in particular is a growing public...
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The Mental Health Needs of Older Adults
Our society continues to age, and it is estimated that by 2030 there will be more than 75 million Americans over the age of 65. The population of older adults (60 YO+) is growing faster than any other age group. According to Institute of Medicine, 1 in 5 older adults will experience at least one...
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Caring for Older Adults
We are now eight years into the “elder boom.” Sadly, the implications of this vast demographic shift are still not taken seriously. Yes, there is anxiety about sustaining Social Security and Medicare. And yes, there’s increasing talk about “healthy aging.” But even with these most obvious...
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Impact of Social Isolation Among Older Adults Living with a Mental Health Diagnosis
Risk of social isolation and resulting loneliness becomes increasingly more prevalent as we age, lose friends and family, and navigate chronic health conditions. Situational factors including diminished social and familial roles, together with physical limitations increase the incidence of...
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Healthy Aging Requires More Than Health
Our nation’s population is rapidly aging. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2030 all members of the Baby Boom generation will have reached or surpassed 65 years of age, and the population of older adults will outnumber children for the first time in our nation’s history (United States...
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Reaching Out to Meet the Mental Health Needs of the Aging
There are more than with 3.7 million individuals aged 60 and older in New York State. It’s expected that this number will increase to 4.63 million by 2040. At the same time, the number of older adults with mental illness will increase by 80 percent, to 900,000. Studies have shown that the...
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Aging with I/DD as a Paradigm for the Aging Population at Large
Americans are getting older—by 2030 one in five will be 65 or older according to the U.S. Census Bureau. These demographics are driven by young adults having fewer children and baby boomers living longer. Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) are also living longer,...
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A Comprehensive Look at What’s Needed to Age in Place with Dignity
Former First Lady, Rosalynn Carter stated, “There are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.” Caregiving for the elderly is a growing phenomenon in the...
