Getting old can sometimes have a unique set of problems, including loneliness and depression.
A new program at Allen County Regional Hospital is designed to address those concerns. Called Senior Life Services, the program will offer mental health counseling services to area seniors.
Rhonda McGraw, its director, said the Senior Life Program is the first of its kind in Kansas. Services will start here on June 6.
The program offers group-setting therapy for participants experiencing emotional or behavioral issues, often related to aging. Care is both therapeutic and preventative to deal with such woes associated with, and often a precursor of, depression. Many people are not wont to admit to or discuss depression, said Harry Satariano, board-certified clinical therapist for ACRH’s program, although it is a common malady.
“Our goal is for people to get better,” Satariano said. He is joined by McGraw and Rhonda Seilonen to provide services at ACRH.
The program will initially serve 10 people over the course of three to six months, with plans to expand.
Satariano said services were unlike those offered by such institutions as Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center in that the approach is more intensive. Enrollees will meet three days a week. Duration will be determined by recovery.
Many seniors may be unaware they face problems that can be alleviated by therapy, Satariano said. Symptoms include crying, hopelessness, loneliness, restlessness, sadness, coping with loss, decreased energy, difficulty sleeping and low self-confidence.
A physician may recommend a person for the program, but that is not necessary, McGraw said. Anyone, including family members and people themselves, may ask for help — by calling the ACRH Senior Life Services office, 620-365-1280.
She pointed out that the first step is an individual assessment, to determine what problems a person has and how therapy can help.
WHILE SENIOR Life Services is just unfolding at ACRH, it first came to Administrator Ron Baker’s mind soon after he arrived two years ago.
He thought about installing it in the medical arts building, next to the older hospital, but put off pursuit with the eminent move to North Kentucky Street and a new hospital.
Those 65 or older being the target translates to a time when chronic illnesses surface more often and family concerns frequently have more of a presence. With its ties to Medicare, cost for treatment are minimal. An advantage, Satariano said, “because we don’t want to add financial stress” to conditions that prompt a person’s referral in the first place.
Transportation will be provided for those who need it.
