They survived a great depression, harnessed the atom, saw everything from Lindbergh to satellites, saved the world from brutal tyranny and contributed to the largest post-war economy in the history of civilization.
No other age group of Americans can boast such accomplishments.
However, this “greatest generation” of Americans also poses a challenge to family, friends and caretakers.
Few people know what is really bouncing around in the heads — and hearts — of those elderly citizens.
And, there are few, if any, times when that proud group of elders asks for help from the internal crises that is breaking down their minds and bodies.
That’s where the Senior Outreach Services (SOS) enters the picture.
The SOS program, administered by Four County Mental Health Center, provides mental health services to elderly residents — age 60 and older — in Montgomery and Wilson counties. The program offers at-home mental health services that can reach into the hearts and heads of the elderly residents and ultimately put them on the road of feeling good about themselves once again.
“Too many times, older people do not reach out to ask for help,” said Steve Denny, SOS program director. “This is a group of citizens who pulled themselves up by their boot straps when they were younger. To ask for help is rather foreign to them . . . but they should ask for help. We’re here to provide it.”
While elderly residents often don’t ask for help, their bodies and minds can reveal the need for assistance. They often turn to substance abuse, primarily alcohol, to escape their troubles, or they express unresolved grief or guilt. They tend to isolate themselves from the rest of society while feeling helpeless or hopeless in the process.
And, why should they feel gloomy about their role in the world? Denny said seniors often face the most challenging obstacles of any age group today. Seniors who deal with mental depression often have faced the loss of a spouse. They deal with health problems, compounded with the high costs of health care on limited incomes. They are usually lonely as they deal with the absence of children or grandchildren. And, many of them are retired and unable to deal with the transition of daily work to daily boredom.
With all of those stresses, it’s little wonder why a senior citizen feel like the sky is falling.
“All of those issues contribute to the decline of the individual, both mentally and physically,” said Denny. “What we try to do is go into the homes of seniors and talk to them about their problems, provide some advice, and see if we can’t get them on the road toward recovery.
The SOS Program is unique in that is provides at-home mental health services. Few, if any, other programs are like it in the United States, Denny said.
“Our goal is to keep these people out of nursing homes and back into the community,” he said. “Our challenge, from the mental health industry, is to get rid of the stigmas held by many older people about mental health services. But when someone reaches out or is referred to us, we develop a strong relationship with them. The better the relationship, the better the therapeutic outcomes.”
So far, the program has paid dividends in the seniors who receive the assistance. Denny said a recent survey of clients revealed that 85 percent reported reduced symptoms after 90 days of treatment. Some 70 percent of the survey respondents reported improvement in their emotional well-being after six months of treatment, and 64 percent reported increased satisfaction with relationships after three months of treatment.
The SOS program, which recently completed its first year, had 143 clients who received outreach or direct services while 67 clients received other services.
Because the services offered in the SOS program not only will improve an elder person’s mental issues, it also will improve their physical conditions, too, Denny said. Less than five percent of the program participants were placed in a nursing facility permanently, he said.
“What we witnessed in the improvement of the physical conditions of many of our clients was dramatic,” he said.
Denny said the need for mental health services for elderly residents continues to grow as the population expands. He also said mental health providers like Four County Mental Health Center are shifting part of their mission to helping elderly residents with at-home mental heal services.
“I only expect those numbers to increase because of the growing number of senior citizens,” said Denny. “The baby boom generation — the children of many of the oldest citizens in the county — is now at retirement age and living longer than their parents. So, the need for mental health services for the elderly will always be there.
Seniors who are prime for the at-home services can be referred to the program by a primary medical provider or persons involved with senior services. Or, elderly citizens who know that a helpful hand is needed can make an appointments themselves.