Behavioral Health

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Overview

Behavioral health is a state of mental and emotional well-being and/or choices and actions that affect wellness. Behavioral health problems such as depression, substance abuse and misuse, and suicidal thoughts are not a normal part of aging. Yet, these issues impact many older Americans.

Through aging, behavioral health, and disability network partnerships, ACL offers programs and resources to help older adults, people with disabilities, and their family caregivers to maintain their health and well-being. Examples of behavioral health programs being implemented in the aging and disability networks can be found here:

• Aging and Disability Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (ADEPP) Reviews
• Title IIID Highest-Tier Criteria Evidence-Based Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Program Cost Chart
• U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP)

Resources

Training

Promoting Behavioral Health and Preventing Suicide in Older Adults: Enhanced Training for ADRC/No Wrong Door Systems (2016) (Recording, Slides, Resource Guide 1, and Resource Guide 2)

Toolkits

• Promoting Emotional Health and Preventing Suicide: A Toolkit for Senior Centers

• Promoting Emotional Health and Preventing Suicide: A Toolkit for Senior Living Communities

• Get Connected: Linking Older Adults With Medication, Alcohol, and Mental Health Resources (2017) (Toolkit and Video)

• Linking Older Adults With Medication, Alcohol, and Mental Health Resources:  This toolkit helps service providers for the aging learn more about mental illness and substance use disorders in older adults, including focus on alcohol and medication use. It provides tools such as a program coordinator's guide, suggested curricula, and handouts.

  https://store.samhsa.gov/product/Linking-Older-Adults-With-Medication-Alcohol-and-Mental-Health-Resources/SMA03-3824

• Self-Management Education Programs:  There are a number of evidence-based programs designed to help older adults manage their physical and behavioral health. Many of the most prominent of these programs can be accessed through the Program Locator Tool hosted by the Evidence-Based Leadership Council. Through this locator, you can find PEARLS, a treatment program for depression; Healthy IDEAS, a depression self-management program designed to detect and reduce the severity of depressive symptoms in older adults with chronic conditions and functional limitations; HomeMeds, a nationally recognized home medication management system that screens for common medication-related problems, such as inappropriate use of over-the-counter drugs and adverse effects like falls; and the Chronic Disease Self- Management Program, which teaches people living with a chronic condition how to better manage their health and their well-being.

State Behavioral Health Profiles (2016)

• Region I (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont)
• Region II (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands)
• Region III (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia
• Region IV (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee)
• Region V (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin)
• Region VI (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas)
• Region VII (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska)
• Region VIII (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming)
• Region IX (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa)
• Region X (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington)

Webinars

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• A Spotlight on Older Adult Behavioral Health (Recording and Slides)
• Suicide Prevention and Older Adults Recording and Slides (PDF, 5.96MB)
• Aging & Behavioral Health Partnerships — Strategies for SUCCESS! Recording.
• Prescription Drug Misuse and Abuse Recording and Slides (PDF, 1.03MB)
• Evidence-Based Screening and Brief Interventions for Alcohol and Psychoactive Medication Misuse in Older Adults Recording, and Transcript (PDF, 100KB)
• Depression, Anxiety and Suicide Prevention Recording, Slides (PDF, 1.97MB), and Transcript (PDF, 283KB)
• Alcohol and Psychoactive Medication Misuse and Abuse Prevention Recording , Slides (PDF, 1.0MB), and Transcript (PDF, 188KB)
• Financing and Sustaining Evidence-Based Interventions (Webinar #1) — Slides (PDF, 1.75MB), and Transcript (PDF, 111KB))
• Financing and Sustaining Evidence-Based Interventions (Webinar #2) — Slides (PDF, 939KB), and Transcript (PDF, 192KB)
• Partnerships: Key to Behavioral Health Service Success — Recording , Slides (PDF, 925KB), and Transcript (PDF, 117KB)
• Reaching and Engaging Older Adults in Behavioral Health — Recording , Slides (PDF, 671KB), and Transcript (PDF, 119KB)
• Caregivers as Partners and Clients of Behavioral Health Services — Recording, Slides (PDF, 1.43MB), Transcript (PDF, 57KB), and Resource List (PDF, 36KB)

• A Spotlight on Older Adult Behavioral Health (Recording and Slides)

• Suicide Prevention and Older Adults Recording and Slides (PDF, 5.96MB)

• Aging & Behavioral Health Partnerships — Strategies for SUCCESS! Recording and Slides (PDF, 3.25MB)

• Prescription Drug Misuse and Abuse Recording and Slides (PDF, 1.03MB)

• Evidence-Based Screening and Brief Interventions for Alcohol and Psychoactive Medication Misuse in Older Adults Recording, Slides (PDF, 1.06MB), and Transcript (PDF, 100KB)

• Depression, Anxiety and Suicide Prevention Recording, Slides (PDF, 1.97MB), and Transcript (PDF, 283KB)

• Alcohol and Psychoactive Medication Misuse and Abuse Prevention Recording, Slides (PDF, 1.0MB), and Transcript (PDF, 188KB)

• Financing and Sustaining Evidence-Based Interventions (Webinar #1) — Slides (PDF, 1.75MB), and Transcript (PDF, 111KB))

• Financing and Sustaining Evidence-Based Interventions (Webinar #2) — Recording, Slides (PDF, 939KB), and Transcript (PDF, 192KB)

• Partnerships: Key to Behavioral Health Service Success — Recording, Slides (PDF, 925KB), and Transcript (PDF, 117KB)

• Reaching and Engaging Older Adults in Behavioral Health — Recording, Slides (PDF, 671KB), and Transcript (PDF, 119KB)

• Caregivers as Partners and Clients of Behavioral Health Services — Recording, Slides (PDF, 1.43MB), Transcript (PDF, 57KB), and Resource List (PDF, 36KB)

Issue Briefs

• ACL Opioid Fact Sheet_June 2018 (PDF, 800 KB)

• Older Adult Behavioral Health Series Overview (PDF, 1.2MB)

• Aging Services Network as a Partner in Behavioral Health in the Changing Health Care Environment (PDF, 509KB)

• Alcohol Abuse and Misuse Prevention (PDF, 502KB)

• Screening and Preventive Brief interventions for Alcohol and Psychoactive Medication Misuse/Abuse (PDF, 328KB)

• Preventing Suicide in Older Adults (PDF, 382KB)

• Prescription Medication Misuse and Abuse Among Older Adults (PDF, 349KB)

• Depression and Anxiety: Screening and Intervention (PDF, 336KB)

• Using the RE-AIM Implementation Framework to Improve Behavioral Health (PDF, 423KB)

• Integration of Behavioral Health and Physical Health Care (PDF, 919KB)

• Financing and Sustaining Older Adult Behavioral Health and Supportive Services (PDF, 717KB )

• Expanding Home- and Community-based Behavioral Health Services for Older Adults (PDF, 937KB)

• Reaching Diverse Older Adult Populations and Engaging Them in Prevention Services and Early Interventions (PDF, 1.04MB)

• Caregivers as Partners and Clients of Behavioral Health Services (PDF, 578KB)