Professional psychology's ability to meet older Americans' psychological needs and to simultaneously thrive as a profession will be closely tied to the federal Medicare program over the coming decades. Despite legislative changes in the 1980s providing professional autonomy to psychologists and expanding coverage for mental health services,…

Psychologists and other mental health professionals can collaborate with persons suffering from mental disorders and their families to seek increased funding for the mental health movement. Partnerships between family members and psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers should be expanded in the following three areas: (1) research; (2)…