Polk County Behavioral Health Study | Page 145

Action Area : Senior Citizens
Some of our communities ’ most at risk include senior citizens , who more than many others tend to experience difficult life circumstances on a regular basis including isolation , increased acuity of health needs , loss of friends and family due to advancing age or illness , and others ; and due to these circumstances , they face unique hardships and barriers to accessing care .
The CDC published information indicating that approximately 20 % of people age 55 years or older experience some type of mental health concern , and the most common include anxiety , severe cognitive impairment , and mood disorders including depression or bipolar disorder . 27
COVID-19 has increased the isolation of everyone , but for seniors the affects tend to be exacerbated for many reasons including increased risk due to COVID , being unfamiliar with technology ( i . e ., Zoom ) that may provide valuable human connections , and cognitive impairment . And some retired members of the community who continue to be productive citizens have been unable to volunteer their time due to higher risk of COVID , decreasing the quality of their lives and those who they serve .
• “ Polk has a significant senior population , with the pandemic depression is worse for this group . Memory care units aren ' t affordable , and families have to make difficult decisions . There are empty beds at local memory care units because they ' re very expensive . Family has to band together or put the patient in skilled nursing facility if they can afford it .”
• “ Senior isolation – seniors feel that these years especially during COVID have been stolen from them .”
• “ For the elderly population , isolation , dementia care , and medication management are some of the biggest challenges facing our community .”
• “ Homeless with dementia are most at risk . Jail isn ' t built to take care of the elderly and it ' s not where they belong ; it makes things worse . Once you ' re mobile , you can ' t be in an area where you ' re mentally compromised . They ' re expected to take care of themselves , but they can ' t .”
Examples of Potential Interventions for Stage 3
• Develop outreach programs to provide companionship and support to senior citizens , such as Project VITAL sponsored by the Alzheimer ’ s Association and Florida ’ s Department of Elder Affairs , which provides tablets to nursing homes and senior care facilities .
• Create and / or distribute communications specifically addressing this group ’ s needs and concerns .
• Improve care coordination for elderly with dementia or other cognitive impairment .
27
CDC . https :// www . cdc . gov / aging / pdf / mental _ health . pdf
30