The North Dakota Mental Health and Aging Education Project

1
The North Dakota Mental Health and Aging
Education Project
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Purposes of the project

• To educate and strengthen the networks that
  elderly people interact with daily
• Educate community-based mental health clinicians.

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History of the project

• Creating A System of Care For Older Adults Facing
  Mental Health Issues A Public Private
  Partnership was formed in 2004
• Mission To assure that the mental health needs
  of older individuals are met in an age
  appropriate manner.

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Outcome

• A focus group study of mental health needs and
  barriers to service among older adults

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Research Method

• 215 Participants of 13 focus groups
• 7 Questions
• Meeting notes analyzed

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Results of the study

• Barriers to Treatment
• Services and information needed
• Best ways to reach seniors
• Heightening public awareness

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Summary

• The barriers and needs found in the current
  study provide support for changes in how we meet
  the mental health needs of older adults in rural
  areas"
• Sanders, G. F., Fitzgerald, M. A., Bratteli, M.
  (in press). Mental health services for older
  adults in rural areas An ecological approach.
  Journal of Applied Gerontology.

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Response to studys finding

• Development of curriculum
• Establishment of a network of natural
  caregivers
• Enhancement of natural caregivers knowledge of
  mental health and aging issues

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8 Human Service Regions in ND
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Outcome of Year One

• Curriculum available on-line
• 700 community members trained

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Mental Health Aging Website

• http//www.ndsu.nodak.edu/ndsu/aging/mentalhealth/
  index.html

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Year Two

• Development of an on-line CEU course for mental
  health practitioners
• Blackboard Demo
• Aging Track of Clinical Forum on Mental Health
• May 14 15, 2008

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Recap/Overview
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2008 Project Team

• Staff
• Margaret Fitzgerald
• Greg Sanders
• Barbara Chromy
• Marlys Bratteli

• Students
• Dena Marie Wyum
• Kara Muske
• Yuki Hirano
• Bill J. Garcia
• Nikki Demers
• Laurie Dahley

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References

• Butler, R. N., Lewis, M. I., Sunderland, T.
  (1991). Aging and mental health (4th ed.). New
  York Macmillian.
• Hatfield, A. B. (1999). Barriers to serving older
  adults with a psychiatric disability. Psychiatric
  Rehabilitation Journal, 22(3), 270-276.
• Mayring, P. (2000). Qualitative content analysis.
  Forum Qualitative Social Research, 1(2).
  Retrieved November 16, 2006, from
  http//www.qualitative-research.net/fqs-texte/2-00
  /2-00mayring-e.htm
• Ryan, G. W., Bernard, H. R. (2003). Techniques
  to identify themes in qualitative data. Retrieved
  November 18, 2006, from http//www.analytictech.co
  m/mb870/ryan-bernard techniques to identify
  themes in.htm
• Sanders, G. F., Fitzgerald, M. A., Bratteli, M.
  (in press). Mental health services for older
  adults in rural areas An ecological approach.
  Journal of Applied Gerontology.