Mental Health Wellness Program for Older Adults
Background: Geriatric depression is a widespread issue that is often underrecognized and undertreated. Lifestyle wellness programs have been implemented in various fields to help prevent and manage chronic diseases including depression.
Local Problem: A local senior center has a robust older adult population and offers daily recreational activities. However, the senior center currently lacks a dedicated mental health wellness program for its attendees.
Methods: This quality improvement project was conducted in a senior center, guided by the knowledge to action framework model. The implementation of a mental health wellness program in the recreational center included several components: depression screening using the Geriatric Depression Scale 15 (GDS-15), mental health education, and an eight-week physical activity program. Surveys were administered at the end of the project period to gather both qualitative and quantitative feedback on the intervention.
Intervention: The staff at Active Adult Center received training in the use of the GDS-15 screening tool, explanation of the mental health wellness program, and distribution of educational materials. A post-survey was distributed to participating members, and the data was analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results: The project included 27 participants, all of whom completed the depression screening. There are 2 participants have GDS score more than 5, which indicated possible mild depression, they have been advised to seek further treatment from their healthcare provider. 8 participants did not record any physical activity attendance, everyone else have attended physical activity classes at least once a week. 11 participants have finished post-survey. The results are clinically significant, participants want to continue exercise after the program and agreed with the benefits of active lifestyles.
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Metadata
Work Title | Mental Health Wellness Program for Older Adults |
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License | In Copyright (Rights Reserved) |
Work Type | Project |
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Publication Date | 2024 |
DOI | doi:10.26207/vyac-7748 |
Deposited | February 21, 2024 |
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