Older Adult Mental Health: A Student-Led Project to Reduce Stigma Among Residents Living in a Publicly Supported...

Twenty percent of older adults report having a concern about their mental health. Mental health concerns lead to impairments in physical, mental, and social functioning and complicate the management of chronic illness. These concerns are widely underrecognized and often untreated or under-treated in community-dwelling older adults. A 6-week student-led mental health promotion initiative for older adults living in publicly supported housing was developed. The initiative included student-led weekly "mood" screenings which aimed to destigmatize mental illness and educational sessions teaching the older adults how to use iPads and access the internet and Wi-Fi. The goal of the project was to have residents engage in telehealth visits that promote mental health and improve quality of life. Ungirded by the RE-AIM framework, the initiative focused on achieving Reach by ensuring participants had sufficient knowledge and skill in using the telehealth technology and were not encumbered by mental illness stigma. The project sample of older adults living in publicly supported housing self-reported minimal depressive symptoms and demonstrated stigma toward seeking help for mental illness. Cultural implications contribute to these findings. To have a program with good Reach as delineated in the RE-AIM model, it must recognize facilitators and barriers. Integrating affordability, cultural congruency, and a social connection to community in its design together with the utilization of students during implementation may promote mental health and mitigate some of the negative health consequences.