Date: April 21, 2005
Contact: Barbara Schoof Conant
barbaraconant@aging.state.ks.us
Director of Communications
(785) 296-6154
Raising the public’s awareness about mental health issues for seniors and discussing ways to better serve them will be among the topics explored at the May 3 Kansas Mental Health and Aging Summit in Topeka. “Visions for Kansas; Older Adults at the Crossroads” is the theme for the 2005 summit, scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Capitol Plaza Hotel, Maner Conference Center Sunflower Room at the Kansas Expocentre.
One out of five senior adults has a mental illness, according to the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. However, research shows that while older adults generally respond well to mental health treatment in a variety of settings, four out of five older adults don’t get the treatment they need.
In Kansas, residents age 65 or older make up about 13.5 percent of the state’s population, but according to a recent survey of services provided through the 30 Kansas community mental health centers, seniors accounted for only 6.6 percent of the number of adult clients served at those facilities.
The summit precedes the May 4 and 5 2005 Governor’s Conference on Aging Services, at the same location. Both events are sponsored in part by the Kansas Department on Aging (KDOA).
During the morning session, participants will hear about and discuss issues and concerns surrounding collaboration, county-line problems and rural issues, shortages of geriatric professionals, training and certification of older adult workers, funding of mental health services for older adults, consumer advocacy and removing stigmas associated with mental illness.
The afternoon session will involve participants in identifying top priorities, identifying barriers, suggesting solutions and learning more about the collaborative efforts with the Government Mental Health Services Planning Council. The conclusions from that discussion will be included in a report that will become part of the final report to the White House Conference on Aging in October. The report also will be posted on the conference’s website.
Designated as an Independent Aging Agenda Event, the summit is designed to provide input to the Policy Committee of the 2005 White House Conference on Aging. This event Is neither sponsored nor endorsed by the White House nor does it in any way represent the policies, positions, or opinions of the 2005 White House Conference on Aging or the federal government.
In addition to KDOA, hosts for the summit are the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services; Kansas Association of Community Mental Health Centers; Older Adult Consumer Mental Health Alliance; Kansas Mental Health and Aging Coalition; National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Kansas; Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, Kansas; and Senior Prevention Intervention Counseling Education.
There is no registration fee for the May 3 summit, but advance registration is required. A Registration Form can be found at KDOA’s website, www.agingkansas.org along with information about the Governor’s Conference on Aging Services. Interested persons also can call KDOA at 785-296-4986 or 800-432-3535.