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

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Resources on this page are intended for service providers and prospective workshop facilitators. If you are an older adult or caregiver,  or 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 of mental health and substance use issues among older adults and promote help-seeking behaviour.
  2. Respond to the unique needs and strengths of older adults from immigrant refugee, ethnocultural and racialized (IRER) groups and Indigenous older adults.
  3. Address the needs of older adults living in long-term care facilities and retirement homes.

To meet these goals, we have developed a set of evidence-based workshops, training modules, and resources for service providers, caregivers, and adults over the age of 65. We work closely with community partners and our Advisory Group, composed of representatives of organizations serving older adults from diverse communities.

Workshops | Resources | Training modules | Project team

Workshops

Our evidence-based workshops and associated materials are used across the province in different community contexts with older adults. The twelve workshop topics include an overview, mental health promotion, anxiety disorder, depression, bipolar disorder, dementia, delirium, psychosis, opioids and benzodiazepines, cannabis and alcohol, gambling, and navigating the care system. 

This series has also been adapted to honor the traditional knowledge and community expertise of Métis peoples.

 

 

Become a facilitator

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

In order to facilitate a workshop, facilitators must have:

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

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

Resources

Alongside the 12 workshops, our team has developed corresponding handouts and multiple fact sheets for older adults. These products are available in multiple languages (English, French, simplified and traditional Chinese, Punjabi, Italian,  Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Tamil, Urdu, and Vietnamese) thanks to a collaboration with community-based partners.

Training modules

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

This free, self-directed online course is designed to increase your awareness of the social and structural factors influencing the mental health of older adults from immigrant, refugee, ethnocultural and racialized (IRER) 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 (MSAA) and the Ministry of Health (MOH). Meet the project team (PDF).

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