What do you think of when you hear the words “Mental Health”?
Does it feel personal to you? OR Do you think “that’s not my problem, I am mentally well!”
For me it’s personal: Not only because I have had times where my mental health was suffering, but I am also standing (yes, it’s happening now) beside a beloved family member as they battle serious mental illness.
So I decided to get my Mental Health First Aid Certification, MHFA.
“What is this”, you may be asking yourself?
Mental Health First Aid for Adults teaches individuals how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance abuse disorders. It is an 8-hour training, and it gives individuals the skills they need to reach out and provide initial support to someone who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis and connect them to the appropriate care.
To date, more than 75,000 Coloradans have been trained in MHFA. To find a class or host a class at your location visit: www.mhfaco.org.
If you subscribe to this email, you may now be asking yourself, how does this relate to Maintain Me Senior Services?
I am so glad you asked!
Older adults and their caregivers suffer from mental health crisis at alarming rate. The National Council on Aging says that up to 25% of adults aged 65 and older have a mental health condition. Getting older is hard! Things don’t work as they used to, maybe you become dependent on others for even simple tasks, the world seems to be shrinking, and sometimes it leaves one feeling purposeless or unwanted.
I decided that I wanted to be equipped to recognize the need for help in my clients and know how to connect them to the right people at the right time. Mental illness is treatable- and getting help is the first step.
If together, we can help 1 person to feel better and live happier, it is a worthwhile endeavor. Let’s strip back the stigma and talk about Mental Illness so we can better talk about Mental Wellness and Health.
