For the fifth consecutive year, VTDigger is excited to work with Vermont Care Partners to promote the much-needed services of its sixteen respective member agencies which, includes NCSS. They also understand how important it is for our elected officials to know how to support the needs of Vermonters.  

This thirteen-week series is a collaboration produced by members of the Vermont Care Partners statewide network of sixteen non-profit, community-based agencies providing mental health, substance use and intellectual and developmental disability support.

Below is the ninth installment of the series from the Clara Martin Center (CMC) highlighting programming directed towards older adults and their mental health needs.    

 

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT Ensuring mental health care for the “golden years” Sponsored by Vermont Care Partners By 2030, one in three Vermonters will be over the age of 60; One third of the state’s population.

Ensuring mental health care for the “golden years”

By 2030, one in three Vermonters will be over the age of 60; One third of the state’s population.

Earlier this year, the Vermont Department of Health released the Age Strong VT draft plan, citing that the state’s aging population will reach a peak. The draft plan names eight pillars in aging strong: self-determination, safety and protection, financial security, optimal health and wellness, social connection and engagement, housing, transportation and community design, family caregiver support, and finally, coordinated, and efficient system of services. In all eight of these pillars, mental health is woven throughout–playing an intricate part in each pillar’s ability to continue standing strong.

Older adult clients hold cumulative life experiences that make their mental health needs different from their younger counterparts, in addition to the physical implications that come with aging. The World Health Organization [WHO] reported in October of 2023 older adults are more likely to experience a variety of adverse effects that come from the act of retiring from a lifetime of work. Loss of income, a sense of purpose, ageism, social isolation, and disconnection are some of the outcomes for older adults sliding into the “Golden Years” promised to them after years of work. 

The result: staggering rates of completed suicide among older adults.  Read more by clicking Sponsor Spotlight link above.