Lynchburg Business

Healthy Minds in Older Adults

Issue: March 2010 by Amanda Sullivan in Inside The Magazine, Senior Services

Maintaining a healthy mind with age has been a concern among mental health professionals for the past several years. In fact, many games such as Brain Age and Sudoku have been invented to keep the mind agile as it ages. Keeping the mind young and active is only part of maintaining mental health, though. A person’s mental health may also be registered by whether or not they are depressed, have anxiety, bipolar disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and even eating disorders.

Finding help or information concerning these disorders may be difficult or even just unnerving. The process of seeking help may be enough to deter people from getting the help they need or want. Now, Lynchburg has its own organization that is committed to helping citizens maintain their mental health; one that offers the safety and security that many individuals are looking for.

“Mental Health America of Central Virginia (MHACV) historically has provided screenings for years and years,” Elizabeth Webb, Executive Director of MHACV, said. “I can remember when I was a young counselor, my agency sent me to work the first National Screening Day that was held here in Lynchburg. That’s sort of how the screening movement started because people in mental health realized that early detection was much more effective than waiting until someone was clinically ill.”

MHACV was started in 1954 and serves Lynchburg, Bedford and the Amherst counties. The organization is located in Downtown Lynchburg in an unassuming building that offers a sense of laidback comfort. People seeking answers or help are encouraged to visit MHACV for a free screening that will identify if the individual presents symptoms of depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety or PTSD.

“The screenings we provide are anonymous and confidential. We use a pen and paper type of checklist. We use the hands screening instrument that was developed at Harvard,” Program Director of MHACV Vicki Sandifer said.

The conference room at MHACV has a relaxed setup with a couch and several chairs, creating a space that is comforting to people who may be scared or unsure of their actions.

“Part of the beauty of the way we do [screening] is that it is non-threatening. It’s not like walking into a psychiatrist’s office and sitting in the waiting room,” Sandifer said.

Once a person has made the decision to be screened at MHACV, they are asked a series of questions by Sandifer or Webb, which help to determine if any symptoms are present.

“We then score it and tell them whether or not there are symptoms present for depression,” Sandifer said. “[The checklist] is actually for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD and suicide risk all on the same screening.”

MHACV connects the dots for individuals seeking help, propelling them to take the next step to getting help.

“Once a person has been identified as having symptoms, we then give them information in their hand about people they can call to get a more thorough evaluation or sometimes we will actually pick up the phone and make an appointment for them,” Webb said. “The primary goal of screening is to give people the information they need to make the next step; we’ll help them make the next step.”

The two-person team of Sandifer and Webb suggest that people take advantage of the free screening process because they don’t have to walk around feeling bad or unlike themselves.

“It’s a way for a person to test out what it feels like to talk to someone about what’s going on with them. I like to think that if they have a positive experience with us, then they are more likely to move forward,” Webb said.

In addition to the mental health screening that MHACV already provides, the organization is working on developing a program that is specifically targeted towards maintaining mental health in persons 65 or older called the “Maintaining Healthy Minds” program, according to Sandifer.

According to the American Psychological Association, “late-life events such as chronic and debilitating medical disorders, loss of friends and loved ones and the inability to take part in once-cherished activities can take a heavy toll on an aging person’s emotional well-being.”

The pilot program was created in response to those from the Lynchburg community who expressed concern over the mental health of its older members. MHACV’s desire to work with individuals over 65 because the suicide rate is highest in white males in this age bracket, according to Sandifer and Webb.

“The planning for [the program] began before we even got the money,” Webb said.

The organization markets itself to older individuals by setting up games of “feel-good bingo” to help educate people about depression. The players place their bingo markers on pictures that include facts about depression rather than placing the marker on a letter or number.

“It helps to foster conversation. It opens the door for the players to talk about this kind of stuff without being heavy-handed or morose,” Webb said.

Maintaining Healthy Minds is funded mostly through donations and the $15,000 per year that United Way allots the non-profit organization, which is given out in 10 even payments throughout the year.

The program has been split up into two phases. The first phase is designed “to expand the work that we are already doing in the community by expanding the awareness about mental health in older adults, which includes ordering literature, developing training and making contacts,” according to Webb.

Phase two includes, “implementing the program, including educating and training those who work with older adults,” Webb said. The plan also includes referring people to mental health professionals and teaching individuals how to care for themselves.

Currently, the program is wrapping up phase one and transitioning into phase two. For more information on MHACV and the Maintaining Healthy Minds program, visit www.mhacv.org.