Abstract
Living life to its fullest can be a challenge for seniors who experience mental health problems. Approximately, 20% of seniors have a diagnosable mental and/or substance use disorder, a number that will double by 2060. Seniors with mental illnesses face barriers: not receiving services from trained clinicians or from bilingual/bicultural clinicians and the further away mental health services are from the referral source, the less likely the senior will engage in treatment. Mental illness left untreated leads to increased health problems and premature death. To address these barriers, the NYC Department for the Aging (DFTA), through THRIVENYC, has embedded mental health services within senior centers. Services are delivered by bilingual and bicultural clinicians in Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Russian, and Polish to decrease stigma and improve access for a culturally diverse population. This model includes staff support, outreach/engagement, clinical assessments, and short/long-term clinical services. Over 15,000 seniors participated in engagement activities to de-stigmatize mental health. Of 658 people screened over 40% scored positively for a mental health problem. The ethnic composition of those testing positively (18.1% Asian, 32.9% Hispanic, 29.9% White, 1.7% African American, 1.1% American Indian, and the remaining did not indicate) further support the importance of a bilingual/bicultural treating clinician. Providing on-site, culturally and linguistically sensitive mental health services identified unmet mental health needs among community elders. This presentation highlights the role of engagement, a non-reimbursable service, as crucial in de-stigmatizing and engaging seniors in treatment. The findings from mental health screenings and treatment will be described.