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Social Isolation: A Solution-Focused Approach
Doris has been living in her studio apartment in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn for the past 15 years. She obtained this apartment after finding herself homeless following the breakup of her marriage and other stressors she was experiencing. Doris is quite humble as she describes how her...
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A Good Place to Live Is Critical for Older Adults with Psychiatric Disabilities: Needed Public Policy Changes
Not so many years ago a diagnosis of schizophrenia was a life sentence, shortened only by the low life expectancy of people with serious and persistent mental illness. Thanks to the recovery movement, we now understand that a diagnosis of schizophrenia or other serious psychotic disorder does not...
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Mental Illness and Homeless Baby-Boomers: What Can Be Done?
Greater longevity combined with the aging of the baby-boom generation is rapidly increasing the 50-and-over age group in the United States. The greatest surge will be seen among the population aged 65 and over, which is expected to increase by 65% by 2030 (“Demographics of an aging America”...
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The Critical Solution for Homeless Older Adults: Tools for Aging in Place
Older adults over the age of 50 who are homeless are oftentimes an overlooked subpopulation. Nicknamed the “invisible population” by many including the Corporation for Supportive Housing (Healthy Aging in Supportive Housing, 2016), their needs differ from the general population of homeless...
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Suicide Prevention in the Aging
By 2040, it is estimated that 82 million Americans will be over the age of 65. Approximately 16 million of them will have mental health issues and/or substance use disorders (SAMHSA, 2017). It is also known that the highest rate of suicide is among those 65 years and older. 90% of those who die by...
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We Must Advocate for Older Adults with Behavioral Health Conditions
As of this writing, the healthcare and behavioral health systems are facing unprecedented threats from proposed legislation to significantly roll back the gains achieved through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Medicaid is also under threat, as the current legislative proposal attempts to alter its...
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When the Therapist Comes to You: A Model Home Visiting Program for Seniors
Sarah is 95 years old and is determined to live out her days in the small New York City apartment she has called home for over 60 years. Her walls are covered with four generations of family photographs, and her shelves are filled with books and mementos of her work as a teacher and travels with...
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Elder Abuse: A Challenge to the Mental Health System
As the elder boom gathers momentum over the next 25 years, there will be more and more victims of elder abuse. America’s mental health system is not prepared to respond appropriately. It is not prepared to effectively engage victims, who are often suspicious of offers of help; it is not...
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A Behavioral Health Workforce for An Aging America
As efforts are made to improve America’s inadequate behavioral health workforce, the needs of older adults should be a central concern. By 2030, Americans over the age of 65 will become as large a portion of the population as children under the age of 18. But there is far more interest in...
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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,...
