Successful Aging mental health program helps clients deal with losses of all kinds

It is never too late to get help.

Which is why the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center offers a program geared specifically toward older adults.

“I have worked with people in their 90s,” said Ruth Shadel, the Bert Nash therapist who started the Center’s Successful Aging Program in 2004.

In fact, since they are aware that the time is ticking, elderly individuals may be more inclined to get medical help. Many people on their own refer themselves to the doctors to treat any underlying issues before they worsen with old age.

“Generally, when people are older, they have been holding something in for a long time, and it’s a big relief to get it off their chest or to be able to resolve it or to realize they can forgive themselves,” Shadel said. “When you are older, you have more of an urgency about getting your house in order.”

Anxiety and depression are common issues in the aging population, along with feelings of hopelessness. One aging services client came to Bert Nash when his life became too much to handle.

“I’m bipolar and I have been for years,” he said. “In 2005, I had what you would call a major personal crisis. It was an overwhelming situation. I had to seek help.”

He found it at Bert Nash and the Successful Aging Program.

“Ruth helped me realize that while I can never solve the problem of being bipolar, I can learn how to live with it,” the client said. “She also helped me see some deep, underlying problems I knew existed, but I didn’t really know how to handle. Because of the help I have received, life is good. I will reach my 80th birthday in just a few days. Without Ruth and Bert Nash, my life would have been a living hell.”

Many seniors who come to the Successful Aging Program are dealing with loss. Loss of a spouse or loved one. Loss of a job or loss of identity. Loss of home, loss of health, or loss of memory.

A 65-year-old female client had experienced a lot of personal and family tragedy before coming to Bert Nash.

“The aging program has helped me through a lot of trauma,” the client said. “I have been diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), and Bert Nash has helped me get a lot of things straightened out in my life.”

Like everyone who goes through the Successful Aging Program, the woman participates in both individual and group therapy.

“I live alone and my children don’t live in Lawrence, so the group therapy helps me with my isolation,” the female client said. “It’s also good to know there are other people besides myself who are going through some of the same problems, and the therapists are great.”

For clients who don’t have transportation, Bert Nash can also help with getting from Point A to Point B. “I get a ride to and from therapy, and they take me to my doctor appointments,” the 65-year-old female client said. “Bert Nash has just been great. It has helped me feel better than I have in a lot of years.”

While there are some problems common to both young and old clients alike, including substance abuse and depression, other issues are more prevalent with the senior population.

Aside from this, various skin problems can result from the overuse of drugs and alcohol. The problem of aging could also be considered one of the most serious consequences of substance abuse. Furthermore, it seems imperative for such people to get rid of such harmful elements as soon as possible.

“There are more physical and health problems when you age,” Shadel said. “For some older people, there is a more sedentary lifestyle, which can lead to social isolation and a limited support network, particularly today with children being so mobile.”

Yet at the same time, many older people today are more independent than in previous generations.

“Older people today are active, they are volunteering, they are working, they travel,” Successful Aging Program therapist Shadel said.

A 58-year-old female client is one of those active seniors. She leads an exercise class and a healthy living support group. She’s a writer and artist. And she’s planning on taking college courses. But she needed help dealing with emotional and mental issues in her life. Finding activities for the elderly is important as time goes on -- it keeps them moving and discovering new things that they can enjoy. It is an entire process from the physical to the mental and they go hand in hand.

“I had spent a lot of time feeling pretty hopeless,” the client said. “Ruth and Bert Nash have helped me to be more realistic, to see that things aren’t as bad as they seem, and to see patterns I have had and how to change those.”

Shadel leads a therapy group at Bert Nash that focuses on the whole person. The group covers mental health as well as physical health - exercise, proper diet, and adequate rest – and how to manage chronic illnesses that can affect the older population. The important thing for seniors, Shadel said, is to know these services are available, and it is never too late to get help. As time goes on, the need for physical therapy, as well as mental therapy, grows, so it is important that the elderly know where to go for what they need. No one should be afraid to speak up and ask for help when required.

“There is a big myth out there that depression is part of aging and you should just accept it. But that’s not true,” Shadel said. “We don’t want people to feel like there is no hope or you have to suffer through depression. There is help available and people do get better.”