NISC Programs of Excellence
- Year Awarded: 2023
- Programs of Excellence Name: Wellness Space and Mental Health Program
- Hosting Organization: ONEgeneration Senior Enrichment Center, Reseda, California
- San Fernando Valley Population: 1.8 million
- 60+ Population: 15% of total population
- Senior Center Members: 4,784
About the Wellness Support and Mental Health Program
ONEgeneration's Senior Enrichment Centers Wellness Space provides on-site mental health activities and clinical services in a trusted, community-based setting rather than a clinic setting. Included in these efforts: biweekly support groups; one-on-one counseling; and bimonthly mindfulness workshops. In addition to addressing the needs of those who are able to access services at the senior center, ONEgeneration also supports those who are isolated and homebound by offering one-on-one counseling via telehealth or in the comfort of their own home.
Recognizing the critical importance to expand support and access to no cost mental health care as a preventative intervention and offer services in a community-based setting for those temporarily isolated over the past several years has been the mission of ONEgeneration's Wellness Space, which opened in June 2023. This program, housed in the Reseda Senior Enrichment Center, embodies an inclusive and holistic approach to wellness services by skillfully addressing mental health within the context of older adults' overall well-being while incorporating physical health and social connections. Many of the issues people face and lean on for support include loss, grief, depression, anxiety, stress, age-related challenges, cognitive decline, and caregiving.
At the outset of this program's first year, ONEgeneration hired a mental health clinician with experience working with older adults. She brought to this role and work a deep understanding of the needs and challenges older adults and family caregivers face. The clinician led the new program by developing marketing materials, intake, and biopsychosocial assessment forms as well as treatment planning documents and identifying screening tools. The clinician worked to create a welcoming and trusted space (Wellness Space) within the senior center that would allow members to feel comfortable asking for and receiving counseling support. She offered monthly informational workshops to introduce services and reduce the stigma associated with mental health and counseling.
The Wellness Space within the senior center served 225 people by the end of the year, including activating a wait list for one-on-one counseling, showing it greatest peak in September and October 2023. The clinician worked closely with ONEgeneration's case managers, social workers, and direct staff to identify people who could benefit from counseling support and access to behavioral and mental health services. Over 300 people received mental health assessments. Sixteen wellness workshops were hosted, reaching nearly 100 people. Everyone receiving services from this program was surveyed using an evaluation tool that recorded overall positive responses, including a reduction in depressive symptoms.
Key takeaways from the Wellness Support and Mental Health Program:
- By offering free mental health services, senior centers can support older adults and family caregivers in building resilience and coping strategies for later life challenges.
- Incorporating the unique needs of a diverse population into a mental health program is an ongoing task, as is ensuring services offered are culturally and linguistically appropriate.
- Hiring a mental health clinician with experience working with older adults is an important key to success.
About ONEgeneration Senior Enrichment Center
ONEgeneration Senior Enrichment Center is part of the broader ONEgeneration organization that has a mission to "support and enrich the lives of older adults, children, and their families through our diverse community." The Senior Enrichment Center operates two senior centers that offer free meals, legal and advocacy assistance, transportation, and metnal health support, among other services.
