Table 1. Opportunities for suicide prevention interventions in senior living communities.

Approach	Goal	Objective
At-risk approaches	Increase help-seeking behaviors	• Increase residents' knowledge of treatable risk factors, potential treatments, and available services• Address local barriers to help-seeking• Implement efforts to reduce stigma and normalize help-seeking
	Identify and refer distressed or at-risk residents	• Increase the ability of other residents, staff, and families to identify and refer residents for help (i.e., “gatekeeper training”)• Increase case identification of depression, substance abuse, and suicidality (i.e., screening)• Increase clinicians' capacity to identify and refer appropriately
	Increase access to mental health and substance abuse services	• Create linkages with community-based mental health and substance abuse services• Provide mental health and substance abuse services or supports
	Promote effective treatment and management of mental health and substance abuse disorders	• Adhere to geriatric-specific treatment guidelines• Utilize effective models of geriatric care management• Assess for suicidality• Increase regular monitoring of at-risk residents
	Effectively address medical conditions and pain	• Employ treatment regimens designed to reduce symptoms and pain• Help ill residents deal with specific types of disability and functional impairment
Whole-population approaches	Promote effective coping and functioning	• Promote coping with loss, bereavement• Promote coping with decreased functioning, role changes• Promote problem-solving skills• Provide assistance with financial or other matters
	Promote social networks and social support	• Encourage connection among residents• Promote a sense of community on campus• Provide or facilitate regular “check-ins”• Facilitate contacts with family members
	Promote engagement in positive activities	• Provide access to spiritual or faith activities• Promote involvement in volunteer activities• Provide recreational activities• Promote engagement in physical activity
	Decrease access to lethal means	• Restrict access to firearms• Limit access and/or erect fences on roofs of buildings• Replace windows or limit size of window openings• Restrict access to stored chemicals and prescription drugs

Source: Report on the 2008 Summit on Opportunities for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention in Senior Living Communities (2009) [29].