January 14, 2008 - Vol 2, Issue 1
Governor's State of the State Message
Governor Spitzer presented his State of the State message on January 9th. It includes major initiatives in health care reform and coverage as well as a major housing initiative. There was no mention of mental health or aging initiatives. Stay tuned to find out what is included in his budget request, which will be released on January 22nd.
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GMHA Upcoming Events
January 31, 2008 - Semi-Annual Alliance Meeting
Time: 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Location: United Federation of Teachers (UFT), 52 Broadway, Room 19H, New York, NY 10004
Agenda:
- Presentation and discussion of the NYS Executive Budget Request as it pertains to geriatric mental health
- Discussion of strategic response to budget
- Other state budget and legislative issues
- Update on Interagency Geriatric Mental Health Planning Council
- Update on NYC Geriatric Mental Health Initiative
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May 22, 2008 - Save the Date: 2nd Annual Geriatric Mental Health Alliance Conference
BRIDGES TO BETTER MENTAL HEALTH:
Merging Research and Practice for Improved Integration of Services to Older Adults
Location: Hotel Pennsylvania, 7th Avenue at 33rd Street New York, NY
Keynote: Robert Butler, M.D., Physician, Gerontologist, Psychiatrist, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. President and CEO, International Longevity Center USA, NY; Professor of Geriatrics at the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development, Mount Sinai School of Medicine; Founding Chairman, Dept. of Geriatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine; Founding Director, National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Health.
More details to come shortly.
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Alliance Consensus Documents
We are delighted to release two consensus papers on important topics related to geriatric mental health -Mental Health is Key to Long Term Care and Housing in the Mental Health System for Aging People with Serious Psychiatric Disabilities.
Over the past year, The Alliance convened two consensus workgroups, one on long-term care and mental health and the other on housing. The workgroups, which included advocates, providers, government officials, and others, where charged with identifying key issues impacting both areas and providing recommendations for improving services and policies.
The long-term care and mental health consensus group recommended that the effort to improve mental health in long-term care begin with the:
- Establishment of a Center for Excellence on Geriatric Behavioral Health
- Service demonstrations integrating mental health into long-term care services
- The appointment of behavioral health representatives to planning and advisory groups dealing with long-term care
- A review of all current long-term care proposals to be sure they include behavioral health.
The mental health housing consensus provided a number of recommendations for policy reform that that had to do with the group's goals:
- Help aging people with serious psychiatric disabilities to live in the community, i.e. avoid institutionalization in adult homes or nursing homes.
- Increase the life expectancy of people with serious and persistent mental illness.
- Promote recovery and improved quality of life for this population.
We hope that you find the papers informative and that you will join with us in our advocacy efforts to implement the recommendations.
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Action Alert: Support Federal Mental Health Parity
Last year the Senate unanimously passed Mental Health Parity Act of 2007 (S. 558). The House has been working on a bill that would provide greater coverage. Unfortunately, they have not yet passed that bill nor has a final bill been negotiated between the two houses.
Take action by sending a message to your senators and representative calling on them to make completion of mental health parity legislation a priority in the coming weeks!
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Alliance Participation on Boards and Advisory Councils
Michael was recently been appointed to the Board of the Geriatric Mental Health Foundation, which was formed by the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry to increase awareness of the importance of geriatric mental health; eliminate the stigma of mental illness, increase access to quality treatment; and promote healthy aging strategies. He has also been appointed to the Downstate Long Term Care Advisory Council.
Kim has been appointed to the NYC Adult Protective Services Advisory Council.
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Other Upcoming Events
January 24, 2008 - CSCS Annual Conference: The Power of Aging at the NY Hilton Hotel. The keynote speaker, Adriane G. Berg, will present on "Passport to Longevity". There will be workshops on community partnerships, ethical dilemmas in daily practice, governance, money management and more.
January 28, 2008 - NY Academy of Medicine 2008 Lecture Series: Reinventing Traditional Health Care to Tackle a New Paradigm of Aging. A presentation by Carol Raphael, President and CEO of Visiting Nurse Service of New York from 5:30-7:30pm. To register, visit http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ImidM3bxuxxilL3n1wMkPJYXPpgptVRMIjFrAs9O_PSNENBoZHpGIKLKTDFMNh2lj3aTt5eesObj6muDcvsqG-fLeU1iNFqCnKriafw_xW8--UGnMo61Yg== or contact Donald Morcone (212) 822-7272.
February 19, 20, 21, 2008 - New York State's Mandated Compliance Programs A specialized training event conducted by Derek Jansen of Practice Management Alternatives, LLC that focuses on training to the New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General's guidance on mandatory compliance. Pick any one of these convenient dates and locations. All times 10AM - 2PM:
~ Tuesday, February 19, 2008 (eastern Long Island, TBD)
~ Wednesday, February 20, 2008 (Manhattan, 52 Broadway, 19th Floor, Room 19D)
~ Thursday, February 21, 2008 (Westchester County, TBD)
Cost for Alliance members is $100. You must note your Alliance membership on the registration form in order to receive the 33% discount.
April 12, 2008 - Save the Date: The Paradoxes of Aging: Psychotherapy with Older Adults A conference sponsored by The Met Chapter of the New York State Society of Clinical Social Workers and co- sponsored by the Geriatric Mental Health Alliance and Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service.
June 17-18th, 2008 - Save the Date: 12th Annual Aging Concerns Unite Us Conference at the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center, Albany, NY.
Educational Activities for Healthcare Professionals Focusing on Older Adults sponsored by the Consortium of New York Geriatric Education Centers. Programs include reinventing senior centers and senior programs, new trends in discharge planning, falls prevention and more. Programs are from 8:45am -4:30pm and registration is $50.
Educational Seminar Series at Service Program for Older People (SPOP) This training opportunity features SPOP clinicians who have extensive experience with older adults and mental health. It is offered to the professional geriatrics community and all who work with seniors. Each seminar is held at: 302 West 91st Street at West End Avenue, New York, NY. Seminar fee: $15. Discount for 3 or more attendees from the same organization. Space is limited. Please register in advance by mail or online here or call: 212-787-7102 ext.515.
For topics, dates, and registration information, click here.
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In the News
Nursing Homes Struggle to Kick Drug Habit
From the Wall Street Journal
By Lucette Lagnado
(December 20, 2007; Page A1)
BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- It is lunchtime at Cobble Hill Health Center and Elizabeth Johnson is busy helping patients in the Alzheimer's unit -- tying plastic aprons around their waists, passing out salt and pepper shakers, paper cups, straws and little containers of milk.
"You have to sit and eat," Mrs. Johnson tells one resident. "There is a spoon if you need a spoon," she says to another.
In her print dress and coral lipstick, Mrs. Johnson, 71 years old, can almost pass for a staffer on some days, or even the manager she used to be at a local city hospital. In fact, she is a patient here, stricken with an advanced form of dementia that sometimes renders her confused, fretful -- even combative. Not long ago, Cobble Hill's staff would respond to Mrs. Johnson's unruly episodes by putting her on a powerful antipsychotic drug.
Use of a new generation of antipsychotic drugs to control the behavior of dementia patients has surged in recent years, despite the Food and Drug Administration's "black box" warning labels that these drugs can increase the risk of death for elderly dementia sufferers. About 30% of nursing-home residents are on antipsychotic drugs, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, most of them on newer ones called atypical antipsychotics.
Mrs. Johnson, however, is now part of an experiment at the Cobble Hill nursing home to wean patients off antipsychotics. In her case, the staff has figured out that when she becomes distraught, the best way to calm her down is to have her do what she loved to do when she was well: work. Simple tasks such as setting the table, they say, give Mrs. Johnson a renewed sense of purpose and calm.
To read the entire article, click here.
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Mental Health Treatment Extends Lives Of Older Patients With Diabetes And Depression
From Science Daily
(Dec. 7, 2007)
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine report that older adults with diabetes and depression are half as likely to die over a 5-year period when they receive depression care management than depressed patients with diabetes who do not receive depression care management.
The is the first known study to examine the relationship between diabetes and mortality in a depression intervention trial."Depression is common among people with diabetes and contributes to issues with medication and diet adherence, and also leads to an overall reduced quality of life," says lead author, Hillary R. Bogner, MD, MSCE, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Practice and Community Medicine at Penn.
The multi-site, practice-randomized controlled trial was conducted in 20 primary care practices in New York City, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. A total of 584 participants 60 -- 94 years of age were identified through a depression screening, and of these participants, 123 reported a history of diabetes.
To read the entire article, click here.
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