WASHINGTON — The American Psychological Association enthusiastically applauds Senator John Breaux (D-LA) for his introduction of the Positive Aging Act (S. 1456) in the Senate on July 25. If enacted, this legislation would address the mental health needs of older adults by promoting models of care that integrate mental health services and medical care within primary care settings and improve access to mental health services in community-based settings.
Senator Breaux serves as the ranking member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. He has championed the special concerns of older adults for many years. Senator Breaux announced the introduction of the Positive Aging Act on July 28 at a hearing he convened of the Senate Special Committee on Aging entitled, "Senior Depression: Life-Saving Mental Health Treatments for Older Americans." In addition to his support of the Positive Aging Act, the Senator is the original sponsor of the Elder Justice Act (S.333) and is a cosponsor of the Senator Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2003 (S.486).
The House companion to the Positive Aging Act (H.R. 2241) was introduced May 22 by Congressmen Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI) and Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD), Democratic Whip of the House of Representatives.
Currently, people 65 years of age and older are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, and nearly 20 percent experience some type of mental disorder. It is estimated that up to two-thirds of older adults with a mental disorder do not receive the services they need. In fact, older adults currently have the highest suicide rate of any age group in our country.
The "Positive Aging Act" will address the mental health needs of older adults by:
- Offering competitive grants to reward projects that integrate multi-disciplinary mental health programs into primary care settings to create a collaborative health care model for older adults.
- Establishing competitive grants to reward public or private, nonprofit community-based providers of multi-disciplinary mental health services for older adults that deliver those services where older adults reside, such as senior centers and assisted living communities.
- Designating a Deputy Director for Older Adult Mental Health Services within the Center for Mental Health Services in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) responsible for the development and implementation of initiatives to address the mental health service needs of older adults.
- Reserving positions on the National Advisory Council of the Center for Mental Health Services for representatives of older Americans, their families, and mental health specialists with appropriate training and experience in the treatment of older adults.
The American Psychological Association is pleased to actively work toward enactment of the "Positive Aging Act." "The collaborative care model at the heart of this legislation will go a long way toward meeting the mental health needs of our nation's growing population of older adults," explained Norman B. Anderson, Ph.D., CEO of the American Psychological Association. "By reaching out to primary care and community programs, mental health providers will be able to overcome potential stigma and offer critically needed services in everyday settings."
The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes 150,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. Through its divisions in 53 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial, and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting health, education, and human welfare.