NCOA hosts the yearly Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium to spotlight the need for mental health support for older adults and share best practices.

The 2025 event, free and entirely online, took place on May 1: Register Now to watch conference sessions.

The 8th annual Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium

On May 1, 2025, NCOA hosted our eighth annual Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium, co-sponsored with the U.S. Administration for Community Living, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Over 5,000 aging services professionals registered for this free evnt feaaturing a full day of sessions on how to best meet the mental health needs of older adults.

In partnership with Rush University’s E4 Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Disparities in Aging, NCOA offered continuing education credit for live sessions for several professions. Please visit the CE page for more information. 

This year’s sessions highlight suicide loss, arts and mental health, retirement, evidence-based programs, and more. The welcome session featured a conversation between NCOA President and CEO Ramsey Alwin, and the host of '10% Happier Podcast' and New York Times best-selling author Dan Harris. This recording will be available through June 8, 2025. All other recordings will be available indefinitely. See the detailed agenda for more information.

2025 Agenda

• Welcome and keynote speaker 
• Concurrent breakout sessions
  • Suicide: How to be Present for Those Experiencing Suicide Loss
  • Using the Arts to Support Mental Well-Being: Addressing the Strengths and Challenges of Aging
  • GACAS presentations
    • Improving Mental Health in Older Adults with Chronic Wounds
    • Enhancing Mental Health Care for Older Adults: A Collaborative Practice Model for Chronic Care Management
    • Using the Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) to Screen Older Adults for Mental Health Disorders
• Spotlight Session: Reality Check: Mental Health Issues Impacting Older Adults
• Concurrent breakout sessions:
  • Supporting Mental Health Through Individual Experiences
  • From Struggle to Strength: A Person-Centered, Trauma-Informed Model for Supporting Older Adults with Disabilities
  • Substance Use Prevention: How Implementing Care Management Strategies and SBIRT Can Reduce the Negative Impacts of Substance Abuse
• Closing Session and Conference Wrap-Up 
  • The Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: How Wisconsin is mitigating the effects through Social Connection
  • Mindfulness: Practical Strategies to Support Self-Care
  • Closing Remarks

Register Now to view on-demand sessions!