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When Stigma is the Greatest Barrier: Strategies to Connect Older Adults to Treatment
When Client R, age 68, was referred to Service Program for Older People (SPOP) ten months ago she described symptoms of depression and anxiety – and she stated emphatically that therapy was for “rich white people” and not for her. She identified herself as an older Black Puerto Rican lesbian...
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Exploring the Use of Virtual Reality in Alleviating Loneliness Among Older Adults
Social isolation is a reality for many older adults, and in response, technology is proving a viable avenue worth serious exploration. Virtual reality (VR) may be a solution, as it can transport us to distant lands, expose individuals to novel experiences, and connect to others within a virtual...
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Healthy Aging: For Older Adults, The Pandemic is Far from Over
As we move into Year Three of the Covid-19 pandemic, older adults remain at high risk. Those over age 65 now account for 90% of COVID deaths – and many of those becoming ill are fully vaccinated and boosted. While many Americans feel confident to resume social activities and travel, our older...
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How the Pandemic Turned Behavioral Healthcare for Older Adults on Its Head
The past three years have brought about the greatest transformation in behavioral healthcare practices that I have seen in four decades. I have served as Chief Executive Officer of Service Program for Older People (SPOP) for 33 years. We provide community-based behavioral healthcare for adults...
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How Senior Centers Combat Isolation
Whether it’s due to distance or the passing of friends and family, many older adults find themselves outside of the social circles to which they once belonged. Now aged and reliant on others for help, many seniors become isolated and depressed, which can have devastating effects on physical and...
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Flushing Hospital Medical Center: Leveraging the Geriatric Service Demonstration Program to Sustain Integrated Care for Patients
In order to lay the groundwork for systems change to better meet the needs of older adults in New York State, the Geriatric Mental Health Act was enacted on August 23, 2005. The law authorized the establishment of the Interagency Geriatric Mental Health and Chemical Dependence Planning Council, the...
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The NYSPA Report: Mental Health and the Geriatric Population
I am pleased to share with you an interview we conducted with Dilip Jeste, MD, Professor, Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego. He is also a past President of the American Psychiatric Association and a member of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Scientific...
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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...
