One quarter of older adults living in the United States experience mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, and dementia. By 2030, an estimated 15 million older adults will have similar experiences. Now is the time we must assess the extent to which behavioral health and primary care providers are addressing the needs of the older adults and prepare for systemic transformation that will assure service equity, access and effective outcomes. The Central East Mental Health Technology Transfer Center is launching a three-part webinar series and a learning collaborative on older adults. Participants will learn about mental health and older adult issues, evidence-based practices, and organizational strategies for improving service deliver to this population.
Webinar series:
Improving Services for Older Americans: The Changing Demographic Landscape & Effective Planning to Achieve Service System Changes
DATE: Wednesday, June 20, 2019
TIME: 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (ET)
This webinar, the first in a three-part series, will provide state policymakers, local mental health systems, and treatment providers a foundation for planning organizational and service system changes to better meet mental health and other related health service needs of older adults. This session will include a brief overview of anticipated demographic changes and related health and social support characteristics of the older adult population. It will also feature a discussion of one state’s unique challenges concerning older adults in state-operated psychiatric facilities, and review a community-based approach to facilitating community transitions for individuals to live in the least restrictive environment possible.
Integrated Care Needs of Older Adults with Serious Mental Illness and Implications for Effective Care Transitions
DATE: Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (ET)
This webinar, the second in a three-part series, will provide state mental health policymakers, local mental health systems, and treatment providers with an overview of strategies used to transition older adults with serious mental illnesses (SMI) from inpatient to community-based settings. The session will also include a discussion of barriers to effective community transitions and methods used in states to mitigate such barriers to ensure permanent community living.
You may register for this event by clicking here.
Organizational and Systems Readiness for Ensuring Access to Appropriate Care Levels
DATE: Thursday, August 8, 2019
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (ET)
This webinar, the third in a three-part series, will provide state mental health policymakers, local mental health systems, and treatment providers with an introduction to a proposed Older Adult System of Care Framework. The session will also introduce a tool designed to assess system and organizational readiness across domains within the proposed System of Care Framework and identify support needs to prepare states to develop effective services.
You may register for this event by clicking here.
