CAMH in the Community again delivers expert perspective on aging and mental health to local providers

More than 160 service providers representing a cross-section of agencies from the Niagara Region attended a second successful CAMH in the Community event - the “Future of Aging” on November 14.

Co-sponsored with the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), CAMH Physician-in-Chief Dr. Benoit Mulsant presented and sparked a lively discussion on the wide health-care and social implications of an aging population. Dr. Mulsant is also Clinical Director of CAMH’s Geriatric Mental Health Program and one of its leading researchers.

CAMH Physician-in-Chief Dr. Benoit Mulsant spoke to more than 160 service providers from the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant LHIN area on the health care and social implications of our aging population.

Along with LHIN Board members who were present, Dr. Mulsant pointed out that solutions to the community’s challenges are at the local level. Bill McLean, LHIN Board Member, noted that “local solutions to the doubling of the older population over the next couple of decades requires creative solutions and encouraged participants to bring the LHIN innovative ideas because innovation is what they are looking for.”

Speaking at the meeting along with fellow LHIN Board member Bill Millar, Mr. McLean noted that the LHIN understands the impact an aging population has on community health services.

“Through the provincial ‘Aging at Home Strategy’ we have learned many things about what residents in communities …require to age healthfully,” he said, adding praise for the CAMH in the Community series and thanking CAMH for engaging service providers in the HNHB LHIN in this important discussion.

Bonnie Polych, CAMH Program Consultant for the Niagara Region, highlighted local information from the DATIS database on older adults presenting to treatment agencies with problems related to substance use. Bonnie also introduced the resources of the CAMH Healthy Aging Project and reviewed the series of CAMH trainings that have been held for more than 100 Personal Support Workers (PSW) in Niagara.

CAMH Physician-in-Chief Dr. Benoit Mulsant, who presented on aging populations and mental health at another CAMH in the Community event, with (L-R) CAMH Niagara Program Consultant Bonnie Polych, HNHB LHIN Board Members Bill Miller and Bill McLean.

Through a special arrangement with Niagara College, 40 social service students also attended the CAMH in the Community session in place of their regular class.

Mike DeVillaer, Manager for West Central Area, noted that “these students are future health care providers, and they can learn a great deal about the issues they will face from a presentation like this.”

“I’m encouraged with the knowledge that there is an initiative to prepare PSWs to adequately address mental health and addiction issues in the patients they care for in long-term care facilities,” wrote one of the students who attended.

Feedback forms from the session also indicated that 97 percent of the service providers felt that the information was delivered in an effective way and increased their knowledge about aging and the impact on mental health and addiction services. Seventy-three percent of the providers indicated that the presentation would make a positive impact on their work with seniors in the future.