Interviewed 88 community elderly about seeking help for psychiatric symptoms. The results showed low past professional utilization, perceptions of low future utilization, an overwhelming preference for general physicians as treatment providers, and a very low opinion of the effectiveness of mental health professionals. (JAC)

After efforts to improve mental health services for older adults, services to older adult minorities were compared with services to non-minority counterparts by questioning aging specialists (N=72). Found although aging specialists perceived substantial growth in services, mental health services for ethnic minority adults showed a lower rate of…

Describes outreach program to deliver mental health services to mentally ill older adults in Baltimore County, Maryland. Incorporating prevention and early intervention strategies, program targets older adults with late-onset or previously undiagnosed psychiatric histories. Explains how services are provided through one-third/one-third/one-third…

Purpose: We describe and evaluate a project designed to pilot test an evidence-based clinical intervention for assessing and treating depression in older adults in rural primary care clinics. Project ADAPT--Assuring Depression Assessment and Proactive Treatment--utilized existing primary care resources to overcome barriers to sustainability…

Describes mental health services of the Senior Adult Growth and Enrichment (SAGE) Program, a North Carolina demonstration program. The SAGE staff used a differentiated model of day treatment that tracked clients according to disabilities and potentials. Services were tailored to meet unique needs brought on by diverse mental disorders, functional…

Describes Alzheimer Support/Tender Loving Caregivers Project which represents the efforts of a mental health center to collaborate with an interfaith coalition to recruit and train church-based volunteers to provide respite care for frail elderly and their families. Describes educational component as overshadowing service. (Author/ABL)

Describes Building Ties Project, a program that provides comprehensive assistance to local interagency planning committees addressing mental health service needs of older adults, including training program development materials and consultation. Notes that in two years, project activities in 23 counties increased services, improved interagency…

Investigated the efficacy of bibliotherapy with mildly to moderately depressed older adults (N=29). Observed significant treatment effects with cognitive bibliotherapy superior to the attention control on all measures. Suggests self-help programs may be a viable alternative or adjunct to meeting the mental health needs of the older adult.…

Describes off-site multi-faceted (community contact, group and individual treatment, and creative art) day treatment program for over 300 mentally impaired nursing home residents from 22 separate skilled or intermediate nursing facilities. Provides case illustrations. (Author/ABL)

Describes a unique funding and working relationship between an agency on aging and community mental health center, which focuses on community-based care, utilizing a multidisciplinary in-home case-management approach to serve elderly persons at risk. Nontraditional referral sources known as "gatekeepers" are organized to identify such…

Examined efficacy of experimental program in which older adult workers (N=84) in senior companions or foster grandparent programs viewed a video program describing how mental health professionals can help people with various problems. Found members who had viewed program were more disposed to utilize mental health services than were control group…

This paper discusses the rationale for initiating group psychotherapy and a group program for the elderly in a private psychiatric hospital setting. The problems encountered and solutions found for patients, group therapists, and attending psychiatrists, and the therapeutic value of group therapy for the elderly psychiatric patient are examined.…

A Telephone Conference Network was chosen to deliver in-service training to 73 staff members at 14 acute and extended care facilities in Pennsylvania. The majority of respondents reported high levels of overall satisfaction with program format and interest in participating in additional programs. Only one-half of the respondents reported interest…

Examined coordination between community mental health centers (CMHCs) and Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) through survey of 281 CMHCs. Found affiliation with AAA associated with more indirect services of all types; more sites where mental health programs were offered to elderly; and more provision of direct services, such as Alzheimer's disease…

Notes that life care communities provide continuum of residential services to the elderly. Describes the provision of on-site psychiatric consultations to 82 individuals residing in one such community. Notes that dementia and major depression were most common diagnoses made. (Author/NB)