Community Support Programs Branch

Older Adults and Mental Health

The Community Support Programs (CSP) Branch maintains a tradition of support for innovative ways to improve older adult mental health care.

The number of older adults with mental illnesses is expected to double in the next 30 years. Mental illnesses have a significant impact on the health and functioning of older people and are associated with increased health care use and higher costs. Although older adults represent 13 percent of the population, they account for 18 percent of all suicide deaths. Older adults are at risk of developing both depression and alcohol dependence for perhaps the first time in their lives.

The CSP Branch supports the development and implementation of evidence-based and best practices in mental health and substance abuse care for older adults. Specific CSP Branch activities that support this effort include:

Resource Centers

Through partnerships with the U.S. Administration on Aging, the CSP Branch works with two national technical assistance centers that focus on improving the lives of older adults. These resource centers provide assistance for implementing evidence-based and promising practices through training and assistance in the prevention and early intervention of substance abuse and mental health problems. The technical assistance centers are the

Grant Programs

The CSP Branch supports the Targeted Capacity Expansion grant program which works with states to increase service capacity for older persons with mental health and substance abuse needs. The now completed Primary Care Research in Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services for the Elderly (PRISM-E) Study evaluated best service models for older Americans with a mental health or substance abuse problems.

Targeted Capacity Expansion (TCE) Grant Program
Primary Care Research in Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services for the Elderly (PRISM-E) Study

Partnerships

In partnership with the Administration on Aging and the National Council on Aging, the CSP Branch has supported the publication of The Get Connected: Linking Older Adults with Medical, Alcohol and Mental Health Resources Toolkit. The toolkit was developed to help service providers for older adults identify, educate, and screen the elderly for potential emotional and substance use problems.

Best Practice Resources

An Evidence-Based Practices KIT focused on older adult mental health services is under development. This kit will identify promising and evidence-based practices for older adults and provide materials to help providers successfully choose and adopt these practices. In addition, the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP) identifies promising and effective model programs that serve older adults. NREPP is a resource that provides information about promising, effective, and model substance abuse and mental health programs that have been rigorously reviewed and field tested.