Of the more than 40 million Americans age 65 and over, about 8 million have a mental health disorder, such as depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. This number is expected to grow as the number of older people increases. Many older adults with mental illness suffer needlessly, as they may not have been diagnosed or are receiving inadequate care or, worse, no treatment for their disorders. A new workforce, certified peer specialists, has emerged over the last 15 years as a highly effective approach to improve consumer outcomes by promoting recovery.

Pennsylvania, a national leader in the development of behavioral health certified peer specialist programs, has developed a targeted peer specialist program for older adults, the Certified Older Adult Peer Specialist Program (COAPS). The goal of the Pennsylvania COAPS initiative is to prepare a peer workforce to meet the health and wellness needs of older adults who encounter behavioral health disorders. Through training and supervision, this workforce has been successful in traditional and non-traditional aging and mental health services. This webinar will describe how Pennsylvania’s COAPS builds a cross-systems collaboration for older adults by strengthening the capacity of the workforce to meet the health and wellness needs of people with serious mental illness and substance use disorders who are aging and whose health needs are often neglected.

Presenters:
• Dr. Cynthia Zubritsky, University of Pennsylvania
• William Boyer, Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
• Kevin Trenney, Peer Support & Advocacy Network
• Markisha Rhodes, Threshold Rehabilitative Services