Our elders do not have to live with depression! It is not a normal part of aging.
Ending their depression makes life better for them and their entire family.
About 6 million Americans, age 65 and older, suffer with depression. Tragically, only 10% seek and obtain treatment. Recognizing the opportunity to quell this ongoing, mostly untreated, phenomenon, Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital created Project LIGHT*.
Project LIGHT is a community-based mental wellness program designed to identify elders suffering with depression and to help them get the treatment that they need. Project LIGHT works with primary care doctors to make depression screenings part of routine office visits, goes into the community to provide depression screenings, creates tool kits to educate both doctors and patients, and coordinates resources for seniors who require help.
Performing depression (mood) screenings in a primary doctor's office has several major benefits. It eliminates the hassle of seniors making yet another doctor's appointment, because they are probably going to several doctors already. By testing elders in an environment that they already feel comfortable and safe in, they are much more likely to answer the questions and work with the nurse specialist.
The "Greatest Generation" is also a generation that, for the most part, feels stigmatized if they have a mental health challenge. They think that they should be able to rise above it, themselves, without help. In many cases, this misnomer means that they live with depression, when NOBODY has to be depressed. If their own doctor says it's OK to get them, many more will agree to be screened.
In addition to going to primary care physician offices, Levindale's nurse specialist also visits senior centers and goes to other places where the elder frequent…to take the tests to them. The initial screening is simply two questions. If a person tests positively, there are 13 more questions. If a person is found to be depressed, our registered nurse will provide treatment options including, individual therapy, group therapy and medication.
*LIGHT stands for:
Learn
Inspire
Give
Hope
Treatment
For more information you can call 410-601-2358.
