Mental Health & Mental Illness: An Educational Program for Older Individuals
Presentation
Overview
Overview
Description
The number of older adults is growing at a rapid pace within the United States (Geiger, et al., 2016). Many older individuals are unaware of mental health challenges and do not seek treatment for mental illness because of stigma, which may result, in part, from a lack of education (Conner, et al., 2010). Stigma, in turn, causes a lower quality of life (Oliveira, et al., 2016). Older adults can benefit from learning about mental health and mental illness, which can lower the stigma in the older adult population when it comes to speaking about mental health/illness (Oliveira, et al., 2016). The researcher offered a 5-week program to residents of an independent continuing care retirement community (CCRC) covering topics related to mental health and mental illness. Participants completed a pre-test and posttest survey (derived from the Mental Health Literacy Scale) to measure their knowledge and levels of stigma about mental illness and mental health, as well as a program evaluation at the end of each class session. Participants were highly educated, with an average age of 78.25 (+/- 5.43). Pre and posttest scores were not statistically significantly different. Through evaluations, descriptive statistics showed that participants were interested in learning more about depression and managing emotions, and less about subjects such as staying active. Educational opportunities related to mental health and mental illness within CCRCs is necessary, and older adults are interested in learning more about these topics.
