Nassau county- mental health first aid training for older adults - in nassau county, new york, 320,000 residents are over 60 with county officials predicting that in the next 20 years, the senior…

Nassau county- mental health first aid training for older adults - in nassau county, new york, 320,000 residents are over 60 with county officials predicting that in the next 20 years, the senior population will grow by 20% making US the oldest county in the nation. Aging baby boomers are driving this rise with the county's fastest growing population segment- seniors over 85 expected to increase by 25% reaching 40,000 by 2040. Our county's seniors face multiple challenges as they struggle to remain able to age in place in a region where the high cost of living, a lack of adequate public transportation and dwindling social networks have led to a senior population increasingly isolated and at-risk for mental health disorders. Myths and unchallenged misconceptions on seniors and mental illness compromise the health and well-being of nassau county's aging population as caregivers are unaware or dismissive of the risk. Yet, according to the CDC, an estimated 20% of people age 55 years or older experience some type of mental health challenge. In nassau county, this translates into 16,000 older adults struggling with anxiety, severe cognitive impairment, or a mood disorder including depression or bipolar disorder. The number of older adults with depression is expected to double between 2010 and 2030. At the most severe end of the spectrum is suicide, with seniors over 85 with the second-highest suicide rate in the nation (united health foundation: 2018). There is a pressing need to increase awareness on the mental health needs of our county's seniors. With more than 5 decades experience serving nassau county's seniors, family and children's association (FCA) is ready to inform and educate nassau county on the mental health needs of the community's seniors through the nassau county mental health first aid training program for older adults (NC mhfatoa). With targeted outreach and training in the evidence-based curriculum of mental health first aid for older adults we will effectively; (1) empower older adults to encourage self-care, (2) empower family members who function as caregivers and (3) strengthen the role of direct care workers (HHA's and CNA's) and others to address the mental health concerns of older adults. The program will train 2,125 individuals over the five-year period so that, as a community, nassau county can protect the safety and improve the well-being of our rapidly growing and increasingly vulnerable aging population.