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Advocacy > Be An Advocate > Geriatric Mental Health Alliance

The New York State Service System for Older Adults with Mental Health Needs

Written by

Kimberly A. Steinhagen, Geriatric Mental Health Alliance Coordinator

Michael B. Friedman, Geriatric Mental Health Alliance Chairman

Introduction

The mental health, health, and aging service systems each provide a variety of services that can help older adults with mental health needs. The result is a confusing array of services with considerable overlap. For example, case management is available through both the mental health system and the aging system, although they are not quite identical. Housing with supports is available through the mental health, health, and supportive housing systems, though in somewhat different forms. Activities during the day are available through continuing day treatment and psychosocial clubhouses in the mental health system, adult medical day care in the health system, and adult social day care and senior centers in the aging system. The good news is that there are many different kinds of resources for older adults with mental health needs (albeit not nearly enough to meet the current, let alone the impending need). The bad news is that figuring out what these resources are and how to use them appropriately can be incredibly challenging.

The following chart lists the various services provided by each system within specific categories. The chart also notes relevant services provided outside the three systems under the heading “other”. The attached glossary defines each service. Click on the term in the chart to see the relevant description in the glossary.

Many different kinds of providers offer the types of services noted on the chart including private practitioners, not-for-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, and governmental organizations such as counties, New York State, and the Veterans Administration.

	Mental Health	Health	Aging	Other
Outpatient Mental Health (Other Than Day Programs)	Mental Health Specialist Clinic Based Private Practice	Primary Health Care Provider Clinic Based Private Practice Satellite Mental Health Service in adult homes	Satellite Mental Health Services in aging programs	Clergy Pastoral Counselor
Public Education	Anti-Stigma Depression Awareness Mental Health Education Suicide Prevention	Health Education Health Fairs Wellness in Workplace	Benefit Education Elder Abuse Education (see also Elder Abuse) Health Promotion Services
Information and Referral	Helplines Resource Directories	Resource Directories	Helplines National Aging Information and Referral Support Center National Eldercare Locater Resource Directories	AARP Family Service Agency (see also Case Advocacy, Caregiver Support , and Case Management) National Elder Lawyer Locater
Screening & Assessment	Screening (Mental Health) Assessment (Mental Health)	Screening (Health) Assessment (Health)	Screening (Health/Mental Health) Assessment (Health/Mental Health)
	Mental Health	Health	Aging	Other
Case Advocacy	Case Management Legal Assistance Peer Advocacy	Health Care Advocate LTCOP	Crime Victims Assistance Housing Assistance (see also Housing) Legal Assistance LTCOP	Crime Victims Assistance Elder Law Family Service Agency (see also Information and Referral, Caregiver Support, and Case Management ) Legal Service Agency
Caregiver/Family Support	Counseling Respite Support Group	Counseling Respite Support Group	Caregiver Resource Center (support groups, counseling, respite, etc.)	Clergy Family Service Agency (see also Information and Referral, Case Management , and Case Advocacy) Geriatric Care Manager (see also Case Management ) Pastoral Counselor (see also Outpatient Mental Health and End of Life )
Case Management	Blended Case Management Intensive Case Management Supportive Case Management	Care Management (via Managed Care) Case Management Disease Management	Case Management	Disability Management (see also Rehabilitation ) Family Service Agency (see also Information and Referral, Case Advocacy, and Caregiver Support) Geriatric Care Manager (see also Caregiver Support)
	Mental Health	Health	Aging	Other
Crisis	CPEP Emergency Room Hotline Mobile Mental Health Crisis	EMS ER Urgent Care Center	N/A	Adult Protective Services (see also Elder Abuse ) Personal Emergency Response System
In-Home Services	ACT Teams (see also Assertive Community Interventions ) Extended Home-Based Mobile Crisis Home Mental Health Services In-Home Geriatric Mental Health Treatment	Home Care Home Health Services Home Safety Modifications and Improvements	Friendly Visitor (see also Peer Support) Home Care Home Safety Modifcations and Improvements Telephone Reassurance (see also Peer Support)
Nutrition Services	Congregate Meal Nutritional Education/Counseling	Congregate Meal Home Delivered Meal Nutritional Education/Counseling	Congregate Meal Home Delivered Meal Nutritional Education/Counseling	Food Pantry Food Stamp Program
Assertive Community Interventions	ACT Teams (see also In-Home Services ) Outreach	N/A	Outreach	N/A
	Mental Health	Health	Aging	Other
Day Programs	Continuing Day Treatment Partial Hospitalization Program PROS (see also Rehab and Employment and Volunteer Services) Psychiatric Rehab Program (see also Rehabilitation)	Medical Adult Day Program (see also Rehabilitation) Social Adult Day Program	NORC-SSP Senior Center Social Adult Day Program	N/A
Rehabilitation	PROS (see also Day Programs and Employment & Volunteer Services ) Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program (see also Day Programs)	Medical Adult Day (see also Day Programs) Outpatient Rehab Facility Rehabilitation Hospital Skilled Nursing Facility	N/A	Disability Management (see also Case Management)
Peer Support	Peer Mental Health Services : Peer Advocate Peer Bridger Peer Emotional Counseling Peer Support Self Help and Mutual Aid	N/A	Friendly Visitor (see also In-Home Services) Telephone Reassurance (see also In-Home Services)	Self Help
Addiction Services	MICA	Detoxification Program Methadone Maintenance Outpatient Alcohol/Drug Rehabilitation		OASAS Services : Preventative Crisis Inpatient Outpatient Residential
	Mental Health	Health	Aging	Other
Employment & Volunteer Services	PROS (see also Day Programs and Rehab) Supported Employment Transitional Employment Vocational Rehabilitation	Hospital Volunteers	Senior Community Service Employment Program Volunteer Services	SCORE Senior Corps
Housing	Community Residence CR-SROs (licensed) Family Care Home Supported Housing Supportive Housing SP-SROs (unlicensed)	Assisted Living Enriched Housing	Housing Assistance (see also Case Advocacy )	CCRC or LCC Congregate Housing Family Type Home Multilevel Care Complex NORC Section 8 Section 202 Senior Housing Development Shared Housing Single Room Occupancy Supportive Housing
Transportation	Ambulance Ambulette Subsidized Public Transit Taxi Van	Ambulance Ambulette Subsidized Public Transit Taxi Van	Supportive Transportation Assistance	Private Transportation Senior Citizen Discounts
Inpatient	Psych Inpatient Unit : Psychogeriatric Unit Mixed Population Unit	Med-Surg Inpatient Unit : Geriatric Unit Mixed Population Unit Consultation and Liaison	N/A
	Mental Health	Health	Aging	Other
Institutional Care	State and Other Long-Term Psychiatric Hospitals	Adult Home Skilled Nursing Facilities	N/A	N/A
Elder Abuse	N/A	N/A	Elder Abuse Prevention, Intervention, and Education Services (see also Public Education )	Adult Protective Services (see also Crisis )
End-of-Life	N/A	End-of-Life Education and Referral Hospice	End-of-Life Education and Referral	Clergy (see also Outpatient MH and Caregiver Support) Pastoral Counselor (see also Outpatient MH and Caregiver Support)

Supported with funding by The Altman Foundation, The Stella and Charles Guttman Foundation, and The van Ameringen Foundation.

Special thanks to Aileen Gitelson, Chief Executive Officer of JASA, Gary Kennedy, Director of Geriatric Psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center, Diane Booker, Deputy Commissioner of the Westchester Department of Senior Programs and Services, and Donald Zalucki of the New York State Office of Mental Health for reviewing and commenting on a draft of this document.

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