Geriatric Mental Health Alliance News
A bi-weekly email to brief you on issues important to geriatric mental health
April 01, 2008 - Vol 2, Issue 5
NYS Budget: No New $ for Geriatric Mental Health
It was down to the wire. As of Sunday afternoon, the budget included $1.5 million more for geriatric mental health demos. Then the Assembly decided to put all its money for mental hygiene ($4 million) into Medicaid for people with mental retardation. That left $150,000 from the Senate, not enough for a demo but enough for training around the state. But after the agreement about mental hygiene had been announced, there was a last minute decision to drop increased funding for geriatric mental health and other initiatives in favor of some members' items. A sad loss.
But everyone who wrote and called and visited their local legislators should be proud of the work they did. It had remarkable impact in a very difficult year.
The $2 million for demonstration grants from last year is intact.
Also, the elimination of the Medicaid cap and several other provisions of the Governor's initial budget request were untouched. There can be growth of geriatric mental health services in 2008-9 if mental health clinics apply for permission to expand or start new programs or satellites.
For help doing this contact us at: center@mhaofnyc.org or steinhagenk@mhaofnyc.org.
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Update on Geriatric Mental Health Planning Council
The Geriatric Mental Health Planning Council released its 2007 annual report to the Governor and the Legislature. The report includes an overview of the Council, details about the demonstration programs, including the evaluation process, and priority recommendations to address the mental health needs of older New Yorkers.
The next meeting of the Council is this Friday, April 4th at 10:30am. To watch the Council meeting via live webcast, click here to access the link prior to the start of the meeting.
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On March 11th members of the Alliance testified at a joint hearing of the Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse and Disability Services and the Committee on Finance on the Mayor's 2009 Preliminary Budget.
Alliance Director, Kim Steinhagen was joined by Jennifer Doeren of UJA Federation and Crissy Liu of United Neighborhood Houses in presenting joint testimony which spoke to the importance of restoring funds for the Geriatric Mental Health Initiative and supporting baselining of the funds in the Mayor's Executive Budget.
Other Alliance members testified about the important impact the initiative has had on them being able to expand the delivery of mental health services to older adults.
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On March 28, 2008, Michael and Kim presented a riveting workshop at the 2008 Conference of the National Council on Aging and the American Society on Aging titled "How to Organize Advocacy for Older Adults with Mental or Substance Use Disorders." It was a presentation on how to build a geriatric mental health advocacy movement in one's state. In preparation, an Advocacy Toolkit and power-point presentation for effective mental health policy advocacy was created to help supplement the session which covered how to build a constituency, how to set and achieve goals, and what tactics to use including public education and lobbying.
At the suggestion of some of our Alliance members, we'd like to highlight a couple of resources that they thought you might find particularly useful.
Geriatric Mental Health in NYS - This is a power-point presentation which provides a brief overview of some of the major demographic and epidemiological information pertaining to geriatric mental health. Mental Health is the Essence of Aging Well - This is a compelling piece using imagery of older adults with specific mental health challenges that reflects why mental health is at the essence of living well in old age. The event will be held from 3:00 - 5:00PM at the Hunter College School of Social Work - Auditorium, 129 East 79th Street, NYC, (Between Lexington and Park Avenues). Please register by clicking here. If you have any questions, please email or call Yusyin Hsin at yhsin@mhaofnyc.org or (212) 614- 6356. The event is free but pre-registration is required. ----------------------------------------------------------
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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Other Upcoming Events
April 17, 2008 - Second Annual Brain Injury in the Community Conference: Giving Voice to the Silent Epidemic sponsored by ICD, AHRC- NYC, and the Brain Injury Association of NYS. The conference will include a major focus on treating co- existing psychiatric, medical and substance abuse disorders of individuals with brain injury, as well as challenges faced by substance abuse, mental health and homeless service professionals in serving clients with unidentified brain injury. Speakers will include Jean Langlois, ScD, MPH, Senior Epidemiologist, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC, and Wayne Gordon, PhD, Professor, Department of Rehabilitation, Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The event will be held from 8:30am - 4:00pm at the OMRDD auditorium, 75 Morton St., NY. April 17th and May 14th - Sandwiches for the Sandwich Generation A lecture series sponsored by One Stop Senior Services. Lectures will be held at the offices of One Stop Senior Services, 747 Amsterdam Avenue, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10025. Admission is free, but RSVP is required. Please email Trudi Cohen at tco hen@onestopseniorservices.com or call her at 212-864-7900 extension 18. April 24, 2008 - Sex, Communication, and Safety sponsored by NAMI-Metro, NYC DOHMH and the NYC OCA. Dr. Milton L. Wainberg will lead this educational program that will focus on safe sex practices and assertive communication skills to empower consumers to live healthier and more meaningful lives. The event will be held from 5:30pm - 8:00pm at Mt. Sinai's Goldwurm Auditorium, Icahn Medical Center, 1425 Madison Ave (East 98th St.). Light dinner will be served. Attendance is free. Please RSVP to (212) 684-3264 May 28, 2007 - Disability and Aging: New Perspectives and Emerging Challenges Symposium sponsored by the NYU Silver School of Social Work. The symposium will be held from 9:00-1:00pm at the Kimmel Center for Student Life. For more information on this series, please click here.
June 4, 2008 - Save the Date: Assessment and Treatment of Pain in Cognitively Impaired Older Adults presented by the Schervier Center for Research in Geriatric Care. Keynote speaker is internationally known expert in pain and pain management, Keela Herr, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor and Chair of the Adult and Gerontological Nursing Area at the University of Iowa. Other featured speakers include: Steven Grenell, MD, Jeffrey Nichols, MD, Terry Altilio, LCSW and Susan Caccappolo, LCSW. The event will be held from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at Manhattan College in Riverdale, New York. The registration fee is $50.00. For more information, please contact Dr. Paulette Sansone at 718-432-1939 or e-mail paulette_sansone@bshsi.org.
June 17-18th, 2008 - Save the Date: 12th Annual Aging Concerns Unite Us Conference at the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center, Albany, NY.
September 13, 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.
October 23-25, 2008 - Save-the-Date: State Society on Aging of New York 36th Annual Conference This year's theme is: Geriatric Mental Health: Practice, Research, Education, and Policy and the conference will be held at the Gideon Putnam Hotel in Saratoga Springs, NY.
Culturally Competent Practice: Integrative Model Serving Asians and Asian Americans Colloquium Series
The Institute of Community Health and Research (ICHR) and NYU's Silver School of Social Work (SSW) present a weekly colloquium series to discuss topics such as Mental Health and Psychosocial Adjustment, Work with Asian American Elders, Death/Dying and End of Life Services, and others. All sessions will be taught by community experts or SSW faculty. Interested participants meet Thursdays, 11:00am - 12:50pm in the 1st Floor Parlor, WSN Building, Silver School of Social Work, Ehrenkranz Center, One Washington Square North.
Please click here for more information.
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.
Educational Seminars by the Consortium of New York Geriatric Education Centers
- April 15, 2008 - Health & Cultural Literacy: Impact on the Older Adult
- April 25, May 2, 9, 16 & 23, 2008 - Geriatric Mental Health and Emergency Preparedness. A Certificate Program
- May 6, 2008 - Successfully Transitioning Older Adults Between Levels of Care: A Team-Based Approach
- June 3, 2008 - Older Adult Substance Abuse, Alcoholism & Gambling: Profiles In Devastation,
To Register for Any Seminar Go to www.nygec.org and click on Registration and then choose the program you would like to attend. Or, contact Brenda Rodriguez at (212) 998-5618 or brenda.rodriguez@nyu.edu
HIV/AIDS and Older Adults Trainings The AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA) and the Council of Senior Centers and Services (CSCS) is offering a citywide HIV training program funded by the New York City Council. These free trainings will help senior service providers address HIV prevention issues and understand better the needs of those aging with HIV. Each seminar is held at various locations.
For dates and registration information, click here.
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Health and Aging Fellowships
The Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program is a unique opportunity for professionals in health and aging to receive the experience and skills necessary to make a positive contribution to the development and implementation of health policies that affect older Americans.
The nine-to-12-month Program offers fellows the opportunity to participate in a residential track or a non-residential track. The residential track allows fellows to participate in the policymaking process on either the Federal or state level as legislative assistants in Congress, professional staff members in executive agencies or policy organizations. The non- residential track allows fellows to work on a policy project and brief placement(s) throughout the year at relevant sites. Core program components focused on career development and professional enrichment are provided for fellows in both tracks. Fellows also have the opportunity to apply for second-year funding to continue components of their fellowship experience/project either at their placement sites, at the state/local levels, or with non-governmental organizations.
Up to six fellows will be selected for the inaugural class of 2008-2009.
Click here to learn how to apply.
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In the News
Aging in a New Era
by Bobbie Sackman
17 Mar 2008
Aging has come of age.
By 2030, according to the Bloomberg administration, New York's over-60 population, now at 1.3 million, will increase by 44 percent. The 85-plus group, the fastest growing segment of the population, has grown by 19 percent since 1990.
Life can be challenging for these New Yorkers. Many live alone. Twenty percent have incomes below the poverty line. A recent study by the Council of Senior Centers and Services found that 35 percent of seniors interviewed were experiencing "food insecurity," from worrying about food to skipping meals to being hungry.
In an effort to address this, the Bloomberg administration is looking to "modernize" its approach to providing senior services. While the city deserves credit for planning for the aging of its population, the way it has gone about it has raised concerns among the senior advocacy community.
The administration has reduced the number of service providers and moved away from a community-based system. It plans to shut some senior centers and change the delivery of Meals on Wheels. Such changes, many of us believe, will lead to a system that will be less attentive to the needs of individual seniors, who range in age from 60 to 100 and represent a diverse group of ethnicities, nationalities, abilities and disabilities and economic status. The budget cuts demanded of all city agencies only make the situation worse.
The modernization plan tackles three major areas: Meals on Wheels, senior centers and case management for the homebound elderly. All raise particular concerns.
To read the rest of the article, click here.
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As Population Grows Older, Geriatricians Grow Scarce
Washington Post
Mar 11, 2008
Mary Boland, 91, can consider herself fortunate. In 2006, the chronically ill former teacher from Cincinnati had a narrow brush with death when she came down with pneumonia. Within minutes, Boland's personal physician, Gregg Warshaw, was called.
"She was weak, confused and breathing abnormally," Warshaw recalls. "Her blood oxygen level was low, and she was suffering a low-grade fever."
In the elderly, pneumonia is often fatal. But instead of rushing Boland to the nearest hospital, as many family doctors might have done, Warshaw, a geriatrician, stabilized the condition and put his patient on antibiotics.
"Luckily, the pneumonia wasn't grave enough to warrant hospitalization," Warshaw says.
Geriatricians have provided specialized care to the elderly for decades, and until recently their numbers have been growing. But despite countless attempts to convince the medical profession and the public of their worth, the number of practicing geriatricians in the United States-- about 7,000 -- is falling seriously behind needed levels.
While the U.S. population age 55 and older is growing rapidly, according to a 2005 census report, the number of medical school grads going into geriatrics has been slow to keep up.
To read the rest of the article, click here.
