Geriatric Mental Health Alliance News
A bi-weekly email to brief you on issues important to geriatric mental health
December 01, 2008 - Vol. 2, Issue 12
December 01, 2008 - Vol. 2, Issue 12
GMHA Joins in Effort to Fight NYS Budget Cuts
On Tuesday, November 19th GMHA joined aging, mental health, and other human service organizations in Albany to fight the Governor's proposed budget cuts. Over 1,000 individuals were at the rally and press conference at the Capitol, which was sponsored by the Better Choice Budget Campaign and the One New York: Fighting for Fairness Coalitions.
While the mid-year budget cuts did not move ahead, we will have to be prepared for the Governor's Budget Proposal on December 16th. We have a tough budget ahead of us, and we must work together to preserve services for older adults with mental disorders.
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GMHA Responds to NYC Mayor's Financial Plan
The Alliance submitted testimony in response to the Mayor's proposed financial plan, urging the Council to reject cuts in mental health and aging.
To read the testimony, click here.
To read the testimony, click here.
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Michael Receives SSA's President's Award
At the State Society of Aging of New York's Annual Conference, Michael received the 2008 President's Award. Michael has done tremendous work over the course of 40 years to improve policies and services for people with mental illness in New York State and most recently to call attention to the needs of elders with mental health problems. We congratulate Michael on this important recognition.
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GMHA Upcoming Events
December 02, 2008 - Legal Issues Confronting Older Adults with Mental Health Needs: A Best Practices Presentation in Geriatric Mental Health co-sponsored by the Geriatric Mental Health Alliance of New York and the Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging and Longevity of Hunter College.
This panel will give an overview on the legal issues facing seniors with mental health needs: how seniors are at risk of losing their housing, what can be done to prevent this risk, what can be done after a legal proceeding is brought, protection for persons with diminished capacity and how social workers are integral to the process; latest developments in Medicaid/Medicare; and advance directives.
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.
This panel will give an overview on the legal issues facing seniors with mental health needs: how seniors are at risk of losing their housing, what can be done to prevent this risk, what can be done after a legal proceeding is brought, protection for persons with diminished capacity and how social workers are integral to the process; latest developments in Medicaid/Medicare; and advance directives.
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.
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January 20, 2009 - Save the Date - Older Adults and Substance Abuse
More information soon.
January 20, 2009 - Save the Date - Older Adults and Substance Abuse
More information soon.
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Geriatric Mental Health/Chemical Dependency Planning Council
The NYS Geriatric Mental Health/Chemical Dependency Council held its quarterly meeting on October 2, 2008. The Council welcomed two additional co-chairs, OASAS Commissioner, Karen Carpenter Palumbo and Director of Veterans Affairs, James McDonough. Representatives from South Oaks Hospital, one of the geriatric mental health demonstration grantees, gave a terrific presentation on their grant project. OMH gave a presentation about the evaluation of the grants programs. There was also a brief discussion about the development of a long-term plan for geriatric behavioral health, which will stem from the successful work of the grantees.
To view the archived webcast, click here.
The next Council meeting is January 29, 2009. To view the webcast, click here.
To view the archived webcast, click here.
The next Council meeting is January 29, 2009. To view the webcast, click here.
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HHS Announces $1.9 M Effort to Help Seniors/Adults w/ Disabilities
HHS Announces $1.9M Effort to Help Seniors/Adults w/Disabilities; Creates National Center for Benefits Outreach and Enrollment
HHS Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina G. Carbonell has announced that older Americans and adults with disabilities will have improved access to available community services and supports, including benefits to which they are entitled, under a $1.9 million grant awarded by the Administration on Aging (AoA).
AoA is issuing a grant to the National Council on Aging (NCOA) to establish the National Center for Benefits Outreach and Enrollment. AoA is creating the Center to support local outreach and enrollment projects targeted at seniors and people with disabilities. The establishment of the Center is another part of AoA's approach to integrating services and benefits and to implementing the new outreach provisions that were recently incorporated into the Older Americans Act.
Through web-based technology, the Center will simplify access to services, resources and benefits at the federal, state and local level that seniors and people with disabilities need. The Center will reach people nationwide through the use of web-based tools and by establishing Benefits Enrollment Centers (BECs) in ten areas of the country designed especially to help seniors in need and people with disabilities find and enroll in all the benefits programs for which they are eligible. The AoA grant funds will be used by the Center to:
HHS Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina G. Carbonell has announced that older Americans and adults with disabilities will have improved access to available community services and supports, including benefits to which they are entitled, under a $1.9 million grant awarded by the Administration on Aging (AoA).
AoA is issuing a grant to the National Council on Aging (NCOA) to establish the National Center for Benefits Outreach and Enrollment. AoA is creating the Center to support local outreach and enrollment projects targeted at seniors and people with disabilities. The establishment of the Center is another part of AoA's approach to integrating services and benefits and to implementing the new outreach provisions that were recently incorporated into the Older Americans Act.
Through web-based technology, the Center will simplify access to services, resources and benefits at the federal, state and local level that seniors and people with disabilities need. The Center will reach people nationwide through the use of web-based tools and by establishing Benefits Enrollment Centers (BECs) in ten areas of the country designed especially to help seniors in need and people with disabilities find and enroll in all the benefits programs for which they are eligible. The AoA grant funds will be used by the Center to:
- Increase the use of web-based screening and enrollment tools with aging and disability organizations, older people and younger adults with disabilities, their families and caregivers;
- Maintain, update and enhance current web-based benefits screening and enrollment systems;
- Foster the use of cost-effective benefits outreach and enrollment strategies by BECs and aging and disability service providers;
- Provide training and technical assistance to BECs and the larger aging and disability communities;
- Develop an online information clearinghouse of cost-effective, promising practices related to benefits outreach and enrollment.
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Other Upcoming Events
| RRTI 2008-9 Geriatrics and Developmental Disabilities Nurse Training Program The Rehabilitation Research and Training Institute is pleased to announce the schedule for the 2008-2009 Geriatrics and Developmental Disabilities Nurse Training Program. For a full list of courses and their descriptions and registration, please visit www.rrti.org. Nurses with all levels of training are invited to register for these free courses. Please note that a certificate is available for those Nurses who complete C1-C4 and Nursing Contact Hours can be obtained. For more information and questions, please contact Matt Yaeger at matt@nyrehab.org or 518-449-2976 ext 101. Courses start September 17, 2008 at various videoconference sites. This continuing education activity has been submitted to the New York State Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation 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 at www.spop.org or call: 212-787-7120. For topics, dates, and registration information, click here. Consortium of New York Geriatric Education Centers GNYGEC 2008/2009 is beginning another semester of Core and Elective trainings throughout the five boroughs. Click here for the 2008/2009 program announcement, registration form, credit card forms, and training locations. You may also register online here. | ||
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Article...Suicide Rates Rise Among Baby Boomers
Suicide Rates Rise Among Baby Boomers
TUESDAY, Oct. 21 (HealthDay News) -- The suicide rate in the United States is increasing for the first time in a decade, particularly among middle-aged white women, a new study finds.
"This is a group we haven't had as much focus on in terms of suicide, because the death rates were higher in elderly white males, and there has been a lot of attention to teenagers and young adults," said lead researcher Susan P. Baker, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "This 40-to-64 age group has been neglected."
The suicide rate declined over the same period for blacks and remained stable for Asians and Native Americans, the study found.
Baker said it's not clear what might be causing the rising suicide rates among middle-aged whites. "We need to study the individual people who have committed suicide and see what were their living circumstances. Were they depressed, was this impulsive? A lot more specific information is needed," she said.
One possible explanation is that doctors may not be paying enough attention to the mental health of their middle-aged white patients to spot the risk of suicide, Baker said.
The report was published online Oct. 21 in theAmerican Journal of Preventive Medicine.
To read more, click here.
TUESDAY, Oct. 21 (HealthDay News) -- The suicide rate in the United States is increasing for the first time in a decade, particularly among middle-aged white women, a new study finds.
"This is a group we haven't had as much focus on in terms of suicide, because the death rates were higher in elderly white males, and there has been a lot of attention to teenagers and young adults," said lead researcher Susan P. Baker, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "This 40-to-64 age group has been neglected."
The suicide rate declined over the same period for blacks and remained stable for Asians and Native Americans, the study found.
Baker said it's not clear what might be causing the rising suicide rates among middle-aged whites. "We need to study the individual people who have committed suicide and see what were their living circumstances. Were they depressed, was this impulsive? A lot more specific information is needed," she said.
One possible explanation is that doctors may not be paying enough attention to the mental health of their middle-aged white patients to spot the risk of suicide, Baker said.
The report was published online Oct. 21 in theAmerican Journal of Preventive Medicine.
To read more, click here.
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Article...Mental Health Funding
"Future Funding for Mental Health And Substance Abuse: Increasing Burdens For The Public Sector;" Health Affairs: The report, by Katharine Levit, senior research leader at the health care business of Thomson Reuters, and colleagues finds that spending on mental health and substance use treatment is expected to double between 2003 and 2014, but it is projected to grow at a slower pace than overall health care spending. According to the report, mental health and substance use treatment spending is expected to increase from $121 billion in 2003 to $239 billion in 2014, while overall health spending is expected to grow 0.8 percentage points faster. In addition, the report projects that behavioral health spending will decline as a share of total health spending, from 7.5% in 2003 to 6.9% in 2014 (Levit et al., Health Affairs, 10/8).
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Article...Ginkgo Biloba Ineffective Against Dementia, Researchers Find
Ginkgo Biloba Ineffective Against Dementia, Researchers Find
By RONI CARYN RABIN
Published: November 18, 2008
The largest and longest independent clinical trial to assess ginkgo biloba's ability to prevent memory loss has found that the supplement does not prevent or delay dementia or Alzheimer's disease, researchers are reporting.
The study is the first trial large enough to accurately assess the plant extract's effect on the incidence of dementia, experts said, and the results dashed hopes that it is an effective preventative. In fact, there were more cases of dementia among participants who were taking ginkgo biloba than among those who were taking a placebo, though the difference was not statistically significant.
To read more, click here.
By RONI CARYN RABIN
Published: November 18, 2008
The largest and longest independent clinical trial to assess ginkgo biloba's ability to prevent memory loss has found that the supplement does not prevent or delay dementia or Alzheimer's disease, researchers are reporting.
The study is the first trial large enough to accurately assess the plant extract's effect on the incidence of dementia, experts said, and the results dashed hopes that it is an effective preventative. In fact, there were more cases of dementia among participants who were taking ginkgo biloba than among those who were taking a placebo, though the difference was not statistically significant.
To read more, click here.
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Article...More Alzheimer's Risk for Hispanics, Studies Find
More Alzheimer's Risk for Hispanics, Studies Find
By PAM BELLUCK
Published: October 20, 2008
PHILADELPHIA - Antonio Vasquez was just 60 when Alzheimer's disease derailed him.
He lost his job at a Queens bakery because he kept burning chocolate chip cookies, forgetting he had put them in the oven. Then he got lost going to job interviews, walking his neighborhood in circles.
Teresa Mojica of Philadelphia was 59 when she got Alzheimer's, making her so argumentative and delusional that she sometimes hits her husband. And Ida J. Lawrence was 57 when she started misplacing things and making mistakes in her Boston dental school job.
Besides being young Alzheimer's patients - most Americans who develop it are at least 65, and it becomes more common among people in their 70s or 80s - the three are Hispanic, a group that Alzheimer's doctors are increasingly concerned about, and not just because it is the country's largest, fastest-growing minority.
Studies suggest that many Hispanics may have more risk factors for developing dementia than other groups, and a significant number appear to be getting Alzheimer's earlier. And surveys indicate that Latinos, less likely to see doctors because of financial and language barriers, more often mistake dementia symptoms for normal aging, delaying diagnosis.
To read more, click here.
By PAM BELLUCK
Published: October 20, 2008
PHILADELPHIA - Antonio Vasquez was just 60 when Alzheimer's disease derailed him.
He lost his job at a Queens bakery because he kept burning chocolate chip cookies, forgetting he had put them in the oven. Then he got lost going to job interviews, walking his neighborhood in circles.
Teresa Mojica of Philadelphia was 59 when she got Alzheimer's, making her so argumentative and delusional that she sometimes hits her husband. And Ida J. Lawrence was 57 when she started misplacing things and making mistakes in her Boston dental school job.
Besides being young Alzheimer's patients - most Americans who develop it are at least 65, and it becomes more common among people in their 70s or 80s - the three are Hispanic, a group that Alzheimer's doctors are increasingly concerned about, and not just because it is the country's largest, fastest-growing minority.
Studies suggest that many Hispanics may have more risk factors for developing dementia than other groups, and a significant number appear to be getting Alzheimer's earlier. And surveys indicate that Latinos, less likely to see doctors because of financial and language barriers, more often mistake dementia symptoms for normal aging, delaying diagnosis.
To read more, click here.
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Article...Caring for Family, Caring for Yourself
Caring for Family, Caring for Yourself
By JANE E. BRODY
Published: November 17, 2008
Whether you choose to be a family caregiver or the job is thrust upon you by circumstances, your most important responsibility beyond caring for your ill or disabled relative is caring for yourself.
Too often, family caregivers are reluctant to "abandon" their patients, even temporarily, or entrust others with their care. But a caregiver should not feel guilty about looking out for No. 1.
Self-care is not a selfish act. It's an essential act, because a caregiver who burns out, who becomes overly stressed, exhausted or ill, is no help to anyone. There are many ways for caregivers to protect their physical and emotional health, and a growing number of organizations that can help. Sometimes all you need to do is ask.
To read more, click here.
By JANE E. BRODY
Published: November 17, 2008
Whether you choose to be a family caregiver or the job is thrust upon you by circumstances, your most important responsibility beyond caring for your ill or disabled relative is caring for yourself.
Too often, family caregivers are reluctant to "abandon" their patients, even temporarily, or entrust others with their care. But a caregiver should not feel guilty about looking out for No. 1.
Self-care is not a selfish act. It's an essential act, because a caregiver who burns out, who becomes overly stressed, exhausted or ill, is no help to anyone. There are many ways for caregivers to protect their physical and emotional health, and a growing number of organizations that can help. Sometimes all you need to do is ask.
To read more, click here.
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Three-Country Study on Alzheimer's Caregivers and Depression
First Three-Country Randomized Controlled Trial Finds Counseling And Support Is Key To Alleviating Depression Among Alzheimer Caregivers
NEW YORK CITY- Counseling and social support are key to alleviating depression for family caregivers, even when their relatives with Alzheimer's disease receive pharmacologic treatment. These findings are reported in "A Three-Country Randomized Controlled Trial of a Psychosocial Intervention for Caregivers Combined with Pharmacological Treatment for Patients with Alzheimer's Disease: Effects on Caregiver Depression," published in the November issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
According to lead author Mary Sherman Mittelman, Dr. P.H., of The William and Sylvia Silberstein Institute for Aging and Dementia, a Center of Excellence at NYU Langone Medical Center, this is the first study to evaluate the effect of a pharmacologic intervention for patients combined with a psychosocial intervention for caregivers in three countries simultaneously. The study looked at change in symptoms of depression in a total of 158 pairs of spouse-caregivers and patients with Alzheimer's disease at NYU Medical Center in New York City; the University of Manchester in Manchester, UK; and the Dementia Collaborative Research Centre, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
To read the report, click here.
NEW YORK CITY- Counseling and social support are key to alleviating depression for family caregivers, even when their relatives with Alzheimer's disease receive pharmacologic treatment. These findings are reported in "A Three-Country Randomized Controlled Trial of a Psychosocial Intervention for Caregivers Combined with Pharmacological Treatment for Patients with Alzheimer's Disease: Effects on Caregiver Depression," published in the November issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
According to lead author Mary Sherman Mittelman, Dr. P.H., of The William and Sylvia Silberstein Institute for Aging and Dementia, a Center of Excellence at NYU Langone Medical Center, this is the first study to evaluate the effect of a pharmacologic intervention for patients combined with a psychosocial intervention for caregivers in three countries simultaneously. The study looked at change in symptoms of depression in a total of 158 pairs of spouse-caregivers and patients with Alzheimer's disease at NYU Medical Center in New York City; the University of Manchester in Manchester, UK; and the Dementia Collaborative Research Centre, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
To read the report, click here.
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