The S.I.L.V.E.R. Library of Online Training for Providers

This webinar provides education for Information and Referral/Assistance professionals working with older adults with serious mental health conditions. When assisting through Eldercare Locator, it is important to understand screening for psychiatric diagnoses and appropriate care referrals for older adults experiencing a crisis.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, it is vital to ensure that providers of older adults with serious mental health conditions are educated on trauma-informed digital communication and technologies that are available to support this population in their recovery process. This two-hour webinar discusses older adults’ attitudes and preferences toward technologies, barriers to technology use in aging services, emerging technologies, and information on training individuals to integrate technology into their recovery process. The presentation develops skills through role-play activities, providing resources, and education on theoretical models for providers to take with them into their interactions with older adults with psychiatric disabilities.

Being able to detect signs of crisis in older adults with behavioral health conditions is vital for providers for individuals in this population, especially with a shift towards telehealth following the COVID-19 pandemic. This two-hour webinar provides education on a crisis intervention model for older adults experiencing a serious mental health condition, as well as tips to provide support and recognize challenges for this group in a digital healthcare environment.

This webinar shares the story of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Behavioral Health Coaching Service which supports older adults at the intersection of experiencing mental health conditions and eviction risk. If you work in the field of case management for individuals within this demographic, this webinar provides valuable information on affordable housing and the behavioral health coaching model.

Elderspeak, attitudes about aging and age bias, social and historical context, cohort effects, and cognitive slowing are important factors for individuals providing psychotherapy for older adults to be aware of. This fifty-minute, free webinar provides education for psychotherapists and other mental health professionals to ensure they are providing older adults they work with high-quality care.

Addressing the increased likelihood of co-morbid condition development and premature mortality, presenters educate providers on the role of resilience and other factors in accelerated aging for individuals with psychiatric disabilities. Reviewing three studies, the presenters discuss macro (systems), mezzo (services), and micro (individual) risk and protective factors for accelerated aging of older adults with serious mental health conditions. The importance of co-creating integrated care and examples of program interventions are shared to educate providers on how they may engage this population. The webinar is concluded by sharing information on how to evaluate the system that you work in, and how you may serve as an agent of change.

This webinar from the Black Psychiatrists of American Health Equity Webinar Series discusses the roles of social isolation, emotional support, and discrimination among the population of older Black adults with serious mental health conditions . Identifying risk factors, discussing medication dosage and management, treating co-morbid conditions, addressing dementia, and potential lifestyle change suggestions are all topics of conversation in this webinar.

This 2019 presentation on improving services for older adults targets administrators, medical professionals, mental health care providers, and individuals working in research. Barriers to transition in or out of institutional settings are discussed while highlighting the roles of providers in this process.

Michelle Zechner provides an overview of healthy aging as it pertains to older adults with serious mental health conditions, and discusses how providers can maintain and improve quality of life for this population. The presentation educates providers on how to support healthy aging through system approaches, engaging in best practices, and specific practitioner strategies that can be implemented on an individual level.

Following the introduction segment, this second installment focuses on evidence based practice and important components of interventions for older adults with serious psychiatric disabilities. Dr. Michelle Zechner discusses the concept of healthy aging, and practices for empowering and developing hope for this population such as shared decision making. She also highlights self-management, integrated care, caregiver support, and peer program resources that practitioners can share with older adults with serious psychiatric disabilities and those caring for them.

This 1.5 hour webinar installment introduces goals, values, and guiding principles for practitioners working with older adults with serious psychiatric disabilities. An emphasis is placed on the idea of recovery, utilizing case studies to investigate challenges, supports, and tools for living beyond symptoms.

Maddy Reinert, the Senior Director of Population Health with Mental Health America discusses challenges with initiation of mental health care for older adults and ways to move towards a better system. Maureen Nash, the Medical Director of Providence ElderPlace PACE Oregon shares about the role of PACE programs for older adults with psychiatric disabilities.

This webinar discusses group reminiscence for older adults with psychiatric disabilities. Cynthia Zubritsky, PhD, and Robert Walker discuss what reminiscence therapy consists of, intervention tools, and appropriate environmental contexts. The webinar further discusses the role of Certified Older Adult Peer Specialists (COAPS) and their role in this intervention as peer supports.

In this webinar Brent Forester and Nicole Cadovius advise on mental health concerns of older adults and their link to physical health symptoms, premature death, and higher health care costs. Prevalence and potential interventions are discussed for people diagnosed with conditions including schizophrenia spectrum, bipolar disorders, and Alzheimer’s disease.

The goal of this presentation is to increase understanding of experiences of unhoused older adults with disabilities for programs and practitioners. With a focus on Social Security Administration benefits, these slides detail how to support older adults in these applications. Further, slides instruct stakeholders on characteristics and service needs of the population, disability and aging networks, and home and community based services.

The final webinar in the Supporting Recovery for People Aging with Serious Mental Health Conditions series highlight strengths and challenges for this population. Further, it identifies strategies for engagement, motivation, and resource development among older adults with serious psychiatric disabilities.

The second installment of this webinar series introduces evidence based practices for working with older adults with serious psychiatric disabilities. This webinar emphasizes program development and using a wellness frame of reference. The series wraps up with a discussion of important considerations and requirements of practitioners working with adults with serious psychiatric conditions.

The first installment of this webinar series provides a general overview of considerations for practitioners working with older adults with serious psychiatric disabilities. Dr. Michelle Zechner highlights diagnoses, unique strengths and challenges, demographic trends, health comorbidities, and common psychiatric symptoms.

This one hour webinar provides continuing education credits for physicians, psychologists, nurses, and social workers while providing all practitioners working with older adults with serious psychiatric disabilities an overview of factors associated with aging in the context of serious psychiatric disabilities. The webinar covers shifts in demographics of older adults living with psychiatric disabilities, diversity among this population, challenges associated with aging as a part of this population, and strategies for providing care. The webinar is concluded by a question and answer session, and the site provides an ongoing interdisciplinary discussion board providing opportunity for follow up engagement.

This free one hour webinar provides an overview of the Psychosocial Interventions for Older Adults with Serious Mental Illness evidence based resource guide supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Steve Bartels highlights the evidence based practices, and more specifically how to select and implement them, for practitioners working with the growing population of older adults with serious psychiatric disabilities.

Cognitive Behavioral Social Skills Training (CBSST) is an evidence based tool practitioners working with older adults with schizophrenia may utilize to support overall functioning. This one hour free webinar discusses the cognitive skills, social skills, and problem solving skills central to this training.

When working with older adults it is important for practitioners to distinguish the sometimes overlapping symptomatic expressions of dementia and serious psychiatric disabilities. This hour and a half webinar highlights diagnoses, symptoms, risk factors, and care practices for practitioners working with older adults who may have a serious psychiatric disability, dementia, or both.

When working with older adults it is important for practitioners to distinguish the sometimes overlapping symptomatic expressions of dementia and serious psychiatric disabilities. This hour and a half webinar highlights diagnoses, symptoms, risk factors, and care practices for practitioners working with older adults who may have a serious psychiatric disability, dementia, or both.

This 1.5 hour webinar discusses the way that social roles develop as individuals age and life circumstances change. When working with older adults living with serious psychiatric disabilities it is important to understand how role loss and gain may impact mental health and quality of life, and how practitioners may support these individuals to reach desired social roles.