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Alliance for Aging Research Thanks SAMHSA and ACL for Establishing Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day

Published May 18, 2018

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WASHINGTON, May 18, 2018 – Alliance for Aging Research President and CEO Susan Peschin, MHS, released the following statement to acknowledge the efforts of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Administration for Community Living (ACL) for their success in establishing Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day:

The Alliance for Aging Research thanks the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Administration for Community Living (ACL) for establishing the first-ever Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day. Increasing awareness is the first important step to improved detection and care for older adults.

Older adults with mental health issues are one of the most disenfranchised groups in U.S. society. They are stigmatized because of mental illness and also because they’re older. So, it’s a double whammy. Mental health services are often underutilized by older adults as they may be in denial, may not have adequate insurance coverage, or their other chronic disease issues may take precedence during a primary care visit, leaving their mental health unchecked.

More than 20 percent of older adults aged 60 and over suffer from a mental or neurological disorder, and the most common neuropsychiatric disorders in this group are dementia and depression, according to the World Health Organization. Substance use disorders with alcohol, illicit drugs and prescription drugs are also increasing concerns among older adults, along with chronic pain issues that may complicate treatment access.

We encourage the Administration and Congress to provide the needed funding for geriatric mental health and substance use disorder research at the National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), and National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH); and for federal mental and behavioral health programs throughout the country to better serve our nation’s older adults.

About the Alliance for Aging Research
The Alliance for Aging Research is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the pace of scientific discoveries and their application to vastly improve the universal human experience of aging and health. The Alliance believes advances in research help people live longer, happier, more productive lives and reduce healthcare costs over the long term. For more than 30 years, the Alliance has guided efforts to substantially increase funding and focus for aging at the National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration; built influential coalitions to guide groundbreaking regulatory improvements for age-related diseases; and created award-winning, high-impact educational materials to improve the health and well-being of older adults and their family caregivers. For more information, visit www.agingresearch.org

Media Contact:
Janelle Germanos
Communications Manager
[email protected]
(202) 688-1209

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