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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Carroll L. Estes, PhD, Sheryl Goldberg, PhD, MSW, Erica Solway, MPH, MSW, and Milena Nelson, BA. Institute for Health and Aging, University of California San Francisco, 3333 California Street, Suite 340 Box 0646, San Francisco, CA 94143-0646, 415-476-2309, erica.solway@ucsf.edu

Up to 33% of people age 65 and older experience mental health problems. It is estimated that only half of older adults who acknowledge mental health problems receive treatment, and only a fraction of those receive specialty mental health services. Issues of mental health and aging will be increasingly important in the future, as estimates project that in less than 30 years, older adults will account for 20% of the U.S. population, up from 13% today. This project, based on interviews with local and state policy makers, aging and mental health service organizations, and aging and mental health advocacy/consumer groups, involves an assessment of community needs and an examination of the effectiveness and capacity of the service delivery system for older adults in two communities in California and Florida; states that rank first and second respectively in the numbers of elderly persons in the nation. Specifically, the project assesses organizational service delivery capacity and readiness (including evidence based and best practices, range of services, and service linkages) and identifies emerging issues and concerns in the community with attention to gaps and barriers (unmet needs), particularly as this may impact access to mental health services for older men and women of ethnic minority populations residing in rural and urban communities. This presentation will highlight strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats, and will provide specific recommendations for improving the mental health service delivery system to address unmet needs and close the gaps in access for diverse older adults.

Learning Objectives:

• 1.Discuss the availability and accessibility of mental health services for older men and women and minority populations in Florida and California.
• 2.Identify issues related to access and unmet need for a diverse population of older adults and to provide recommendations for program and policy change.
• 3.Assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to the current mental health service delivery system to meeting the needs of a diverse population of older adults.
• 4.Describe the role of coalitions and partnerships in addressing aging and mental health issues.
• 5.Recognize the differences in gaps and services in rural and urban communities.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered