How Has the Pandemic Affected the Mental Health of Older Adults?

WHAT WILL THE AUDIENCE LEARN?

We believe that our families and communities are better off when mental healthcare is available at every age. However, older adults face multiple barriers to accessing treatment, including stigma, financial cost, transportation challenges, and language. Negative stereotypes are another barrier, as they teach us that depression is a normal part of aging and that older adults are unable to grow and change. We hope to draw the audience into a conversation about how mental healthcare can support the overall well-being of older adults and strengthen families and communities.

EPISODE SUMMARY:

About Nancy: Nancy Harvey, LMSW, has served as the chief executive of the Service Program for Older People (SPOP) in New York City since 1990. During her tenure, SPOP has grown from a neighborhood-based agency primarily serving homebound older adults to a regional resource for affordable mental healthcare for adults age 55 and older. A State University of New York system graduate, she holds a B.A. fromSUNY New Paltz and M.S.W. from SUNY Albany. She has been an advocate for increasing access to geriatric mental health care in the region and has developed outreach strategies in partnership with NYCAging, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Mount Sinai Health System, New York-Presbyterian