divider

Understanding mental health and well-being in later life: Service providers

See related content

Resources on this page are intended for service providers and prospective workshop facilitators. If you are an older adult or a caregiver, or if you are looking for resources to distribute, please view our resources for older adults and caregivers.

Get involved

Our community of interest is open to caregivers, health service providers, and community staff supporting older adults, as well as older adults interested in project updates and resources.

Join our Community of Interest on EENet Connect

About the project

How can we support the mental health and well-being of older adults in Ontario?  

The Understanding Mental Health and Well-Being in Later Life project aims to:

  1. raise awareness among older adults about mental health, addiction and substance use issues and where to access help
  2. respond to the unique needs and strengths of older adults from immigrant, refugee, ethnocultural and racialized groups and among Indigenous older adults
  3. address the needs of older adults living in long-term care and retirement homes.

To meet these goals, we have developed a set of evidence-based workshops, courses and resources for service providers, caregivers and adults 65 years and older. We work closely with community partners in developing our resources.

Workshops | Resources | Video Series | Courses | Project team

Workshops

Facilitators offer our evidence-based workshops to older adults in different community contexts across Ontario. The first workshop in the series provides an introduction to mental health and well-being in later life. The other 11 cover a broad range of mental health, addiction and substance use topics, including:

This series has also been adapted to honour the traditional knowledge and community expertise of Métis people in Ontario.

Interested in bringing the workshops to your community?

We are always looking for new partners who are interested in delivering the workshop series to older adults in their communities.

To facilitate a workshop, you should have experience:

Facilitators and partner organizations also get access to an evidence-based curriculum and support from Canada’s largest mental health teaching hospital—at no cost.

For more information, please check out this overview of the workshop series, our FAQ about becoming a facilitator and a sample prerecording of the workshop series in action. 

If you have questions about the workshop series or are interested in becoming a facilitator, email olderadults@camh.ca.

Resources

Our team has developed handouts for older adults about the topics covered in the 12 workshops. And thanks to a collaboration with our partners, these information sheets are available in English, French, simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Punjabi, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Tamil, Urdu and Vietnamese.

Also, our team has developed a fact sheet on understanding trauma in later life, which is available in both English and French. 

Video Series 

Voices of Aging Navigating Mental Health, Care and Connection
As we age, maintaining mental health and well-being can become increasingly challenging. Older adults may face issues like memory loss, loneliness, and difficulty navigating healthcare systems that can feel overwhelming or inaccessible. Cultural differences, language barriers, and discrimination can make it even harder to get the support they need.

In this video series, you'll meet Mei, Gung Gung, Leszek and Rosemary. Each faces unique challenges as they navigate the complexities of aging and mental health or help their loved ones do the same. Though their stories are fictionalized, they shine a light on the struggles that many people encounter as they age.

Watch as these characters find hope, resilience, connection, and health care support when they need it most.

Whether you’re an older adult or a caregiver, this series offers valuable insights into understanding mental health and well-being in later life. Access here. 

Courses

Aging and mental health: A primer on health equity, diversity and anti-racism

This free, self-directed online course is designed to raise awareness of the social and structural factors that influence the mental health of older adults from immigrant, refugee, ethnocultural and racialized groups. Access the course.

Supporting the mental health of older adults in care

This free, self-directed, online course is for service providers and staff working with older adults in long-term care and retirement homes. It provides an overview of mental health and mental illness in older adults in care, including factors specific to older, diverse populations. Access the course.

Project team

This project is led by the Provincial System Support Program (PSSP) at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) with funding from the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility, the Ministry of Health and the Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence at Ontario Health.

Related resources, news, and events