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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...
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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...
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Elder Abuse and Mental Health: Victims, Perpetrators, and Potential for Change
Elder abuse is increasing in the United States (US) as more Americans age and become vulnerable to various forms of mistreatment (Chang & Levy, 2021). This kind of abuse can have significant effects on mental health, not only for older victims but for perpetrators of abuse,...
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Complexities in Caring for Older Adults: Challenges and Opportunities for Improvement
It has been widely reported that individuals with chronic behavioral health conditions experience significantly diminished life expectancies (Chesney et al., 2014). This tragic phenomenon may be attributed, at least in part, to comorbid medical conditions commonly associated with the aging process....
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Fountain House’s Silver Center for Older Adults: It Takes a Village to “Live Long and Prosper” with Behavioral Health Challenges
What’s in a name? Just as age 60 is supposedly the new 40, the silver hair on older heads is now apparently worth its weight in gold. However, the “silver” in Silver Center refers to the respect certain cultures, such as the Japanese, confer on their elders. So, when you read about the...
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Aging, Pain, and Behavioral Health Challenges – Untangling the Threads
Armand is a 78-year-old gay man who has lived with chronic pain for over ten years. A retired actor who enjoyed a successful career on stage and as a mentor for young actors, he now has multiple health conditions including arthritis, a history of cancer, and complications from spinal surgery. He is...
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Working Toward Employment: A Journey of Growth and Support
As a young woman, Lisa was told that she would never work. She suffers from serious mental illness and has experienced multiple traumas during her lifetime. Now 59 years old, she lives in a supportive group home and is a participant in the Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS) program at...
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Older Adults and Substance Misuse: Hiding in Plain Sight
Last winter “Lucy,” an 87-year-old woman, was referred to Service Program for Older People (SPOP) by her primary care doctor. Lucy’s husband had died during the COVID-19 pandemic, and she was struggling with unresolved grief, depression, and panic attacks. A retired teacher, she had enjoyed a...
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Outcome of Schizophrenia in Later Life: Conceptual Changes and Implications for Treatment and Policy
In tandem with the greying of the general population, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of older adults with schizophrenia (OAS). Since 2000, there has been a doubling of persons aged 55 and over with schizophrenia and they now comprise about one-fourth of all persons with...
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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...
