Senior Outreach Program

The mission of the Senior Outreach Program is to improve the quality of life for seniors in Allegany County through mental health evaluation and intervention.

Services provided include:

Assessment:
A Senior Outreach Worker can visit your home to assess your service needs with a special focus on mental health. As appropriate, they will make recommendations or referrals to other providers.

Counseling:
A Senior Outreach Worker can offer short-term supportive counseling to address your current life issues.

Case Management:
A Senior Outreach Worker can visit your home to handle non-therapeutic needs of living independently, such as: housing, service coordination and daily living skills.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What services are available?
A: Consultation with a mental health professional, in-home mental health assessment, case management services and counseling can be provided.

Q: Who can receive services?
A: Any Allegany County resident age 60 and above or 55 and above if disabled.

Q: What kinds of problems are often seen by the Senior Outreach Workers?
A: Depression, transportation needs, grief, confusion or hallucinations, behavioral problems, isolation and loneliness, financial problems, anxiety and personal loss are some of the common issues seen.

Q: Who provides the services?
A: A team composed of a therapist and case manager is available to help. Both are employees of ARA and work out of The Counseling Center. Depending on the situation one or two professionals will visit you at home.

Q: How much does it cost?
A: There is no direct charge to the consumer for the services provided by the Senior Outreach Program.

Q: How can these services be accessed?
A: Referrals to the program are accepted from physicians, social service agencies, Office for the Aging, hospitals, nursing homes, police and other professionals.

Q: Are all mental health problems appropriate for the Senior Outreach Program?
A: The professional making the referral can discuss your needs with the Program Coordinator. However, emergency or dangerous situations that require immediate attention are not appropriate for this program. In these cases, call the 24 Hour Crisis Hotline toll-free (888) 448-3367 or call the Police.

DID YOU KNOW ??

"In the United States today, there is a larger percentage of adults over 65 - one of every eight Americans - than there has been at any other time in the history of the nation."
Margaret Gatz ("Emerging Issues in Mental Health & Aging")

"Depression affects 15 out of 100 people over age 65."
Patrick Mathiasen, MD ("Late Life Depression")

"The prevalence of dementia is greater than 5% among people older than 65, increasing to more than 30% in those over 85."
Lon S. Schneider ("Emerging Issues in Mental Health & Aging")

Links:
Medicare
AARP

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