|
Behavioral Health
Find Help
Overview
Behavioral health is a state of mental and emotional well-being and/or choices and actions that affect wellness. Through aging, behavioral health, and disability network partnerships, AoA offers programs and resources to help older adults, persons with disabilities, and their family caregivers maintain their health and well-being, including programs intended to maintain and enhance emotional health, prevent substance abuse/misuse, and prevent suicide.
The Issues
Emotional issues, substance abuse and misuse, and suicidal thoughts are not a normal part of aging, yet these issues impact many Older Americans. The AoA Behavioral Health Factsheet (PDF) provides more information about the prevalence and impact of behavioral health issues among older adults.
Back to top
Solutions
States are enhancing the ability of their systems to provide educate, identify, refer, and provide appropriate services/interventions for older adults, persons with disabilities, and caregivers with or at risk for behavioral health disorders. A variety of funding sources are being used to support these efforts, including the Evidence-Based Disease Prevention Program, the Older Americans Act Titles III-D, Medicaid, Affordable Care Act initiatives, and other flexible and targeted funding streams. Partnering with state and local agencies that have an interest and/or expertise in behavioral health services may be another way to provide and sustain services that support optimal health.
Examples of programs that have been implemented in the Aging Network include:
- Healthy IDEAS, an evidence-based program that integrates depression awareness and management into existing case management services provided to older adults.
- PEARLS, an evidence-based method designed to reduce depressive symptoms and improve quality of life in older adults. Washington State is currently funding PEARLS through Medicaid Waivers.
- HomeMeds, an evidence-based intervention specifically designed to enable social workers and nurse care managers to identify and resolve certain medication problems common among frail elders living in the community.
- ElderVention, a program designed to help older adults achieve and maintain a healthy emotional life.
- The Brief Intervention and Treatment for Elders (BRITE), a project is to help individuals 55 years and older to identify non-dependent substance use or prescription medication issues and to provide effective service strategies prior to their need for more extensive or specialized substance abuse treatment.
Some states, such as New York, have passed legislation to increase mental health programs and services.
Back to top
Technical Assistance Center
Resources are available to assist the Aging Network in implementing proven programs and developing new approaches for helping older adults, persons with disabilities, and family caregivers maintain their emotional well-being.
The Older Americans Behavioral Health Technical Assistance Center supports a partnership between the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Administration on Aging to provide states and communities with learning opportunities and support for behavioral health services for older adults through coordinated aging, mental health, and substance abuse prevention networks. A series of webinars and issue briefs are being developed to assist states and communities in improving the behavioral-health capability of their respective networks.
Webinars
To play wav files you need a plug-in such as QuickTime, which is a free download.
- Prescription Drug Misuse and Abuse (Recording (WAV) and Slides (PDF))
- Screening and Brief Interventions for Substance Abuse
- Suicide Prevention
- Depression and Anxiety
- Prescription Medication Misuse and Abuse for the Aging Services Network
- Key Partnerships for Local Implementation Success
- Sustainability and Financing of Interventions
- Reaching and Engaging Older Adults
- Sustainability and Financing of Behavioral Health Interventions
- Family Caregivers as Clients and Partners in Care
Issue Briefs
- Older Adult Behavioral Health Series Overview
- Aging Services Network as a Partner in Behavioral Health in the Changing Health Care Environment
- Prescription Medication Abuse and Misuse
- Suicide Among Older Adults
- Alcohol Misuse and Abuse
- Screening and Brief Intervention for Alcohol and Psychoactive Medication Misuse and Abuse
- Depression and Anxiety
- RE-AIM Framework for Behavioral Health Intervention Implementation
- Affordable Care Act—Impacts on and Opportunities for Older Adult Behavioral Health
- Sustainability and Financing of Interventions
- Reaching and Engaging Older Adults in Behavioral Health Interventions
- Behavioral Health for Family Caregiver
- Integration of Behavioral Health and Physical Health Care
- Special Topics: Rural Issues and Cultural Competence
*Please check back periodically as additional webinars and issue briefs are added.
Back to top
Resources, Tools, and Links
The AoA Behavioral Health Resource sheet (PDF) provides links to additional resources (toolkits, factsheets, data) and to national, state, and local organizations.
Back to top
| Last Modified: 5/2/2012 2:50:31 PM |
|