Seniors

Common Senior Health Issues

Mental Wellness

When You’ve Got More Than the Blues, Older Adult Services Can Help

Need Help… Need help for a depressed senior? Call 585-275-3571 for Strong Health's Geriatrics and Neuropsychiatry programs.

Life is full of ups and downs, but sometimes you can feel that you've "been down so long it looks like up to me” ( to quote the title of a classic novel from the 1960s).

URMC offers help in developing and maintaining positive mental attitudes at:

Strong Behavioral Health’s Older Adults Service
2180 South Clinton Avenue
Rochester, N.Y.
Call 585-274-4605 for a referral.

If you're age 60 or older, the Behavioral Health’s Older Adult Services offers specialized mental health care to help you conquer the physical and emotional challenges often associated with aging. The focus at Older Adult Services is always on seniors, their family members and caregivers.

Some Reasons People Come to Us for Improved Mental Health

Seniors sometimes find it hard to cope for various reasons. Here are a few of the challenges our patients say they have difficulty facing:

• Death and loss of family, friends and loved ones
• Symptoms of depression, such as changes in mood, appetite, sleep patterns, loss of interest in activity they once enjoyed, lack of energy, and death wish
• Anxiety, fears, worries
• Relationship and family problems
• Loneliness and feelings of isolation
• Difficulty remembering
• Stress and difficulty with changes
• Physical health problems

• Evaluation and Assessment. Leading-edge assessment and diagnostic tools help us identify how to best help a senior who's having difficulty coping with life’s demands.
• Individual Therapy. One-on-one meetings help monitor symptoms and measure results.
• Group Therapy. Small groups of seniors with similar issues meet with a therapist for a guided, relevant discussion.
• Family Education and Support. No one is an island. By helping family and caregivers understand the therapeutic approach to the senior’s issues, faster healing can take place.
• Family Therapy. The individual and family members meet with a therapist as a group to work on the relationships unique to that family unit.
• Pharmacotherapy. New medications can often improve mental health.
• ECT. Sometimes severe depression is treated by a modern, effective method called electroconvulsive therapy or “ECT.”

Alzheimers Disease–A Focus for Strong Research

Alzheimers disease and dementia represent many people's biggest fear in getting older. Fortunately researchers are working hard to understand the causes and develop better treatments.