By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Handling older adults with serious mental illnesses is not typical training for gerontology programs.
Many families, caregivers and volunteers delivering meals aren’t prepared when they encounter mental illness issues with seniors.
So Denise Niese, executive director of the Wood County Committee on Aging, was intrigued when she was approached by Boston University about taking part in such a training program. She explained the project Wednesday during a meeting of the WCCOA Board.
The program, dubbed Creating Relationships of Empowerment and Wellbeing (CREW), is a virtual training program meant to improve the knowledge and skills to support older adults with serious mental illnesses.
As a blended training program, it involves online content that people can access on their own to improve their knowledge base, with some interactive webinars included to help process the information.
One track will focus on paid workers in community elder support, such as community health workers and home health aides. The other track will focus on unpaid caregivers, typically volunteers or family members.
The trainings will develop a new view of mental illnesses, demystify the activities involved in supporting people with mental health challenges, and offer tools to promote recovery and resiliency.
Such training, looking at mental illness among the aging, is rare, said Wood County Committee on Aging board member Nancy Orel, who teaches gerontology.
“It’s often overlooked,” she said.
“Oftentimes, it’s the caregivers struggling with the problem behaviors,” caused by serious mental illnesses like bipolar issues, schizophrenia, or long-term depression. “It’s definitely needed.”
But both Niese and Orel noted that it would be ideal if the training also included dementia issues – especially since the Wood County Senior Center in Bowling Green is preparing to become a day care site for adults with serious memory issues.
“More and more universities are starting to recognize the older generations,” that before were ignored, Orel said.
Also at Wednesday’s meeting:
- Board President Paul Herringshaw recognized the work of volunteers with the Wood County Committee on Aging. A total of 266 volunteers helped out at the eight senior centers in Wood County last year, performing a wide range of duties such as helping with home delivered meals and answering phones. “This is what makes this organization the great organization we are,” Herringshaw said. “I want to give them recognition for the great work they do.”
- Niese reported that the following positions are open at the county’s senior centers: North Baltimore site manager, and drivers at the northeast site, Rossford and North Baltimore. Intermittent staff are covering the northeast and Rossford home delivered meal routes.
- Niese gave an update on the minor home repair project funding through the Ohio Department of Aging. WCCOA staff has begun assessing requests for permissible repairs.
