Virtual: Risks of Depression and Suicide Among Older Adults in Rural NH

Sponsor North Country Health Consortium/Northern NH Area Health Education Center and NH Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselors Association

PRESENTATION:   Depression is a common problem among older adults, but it is not a normal part of aging. Signs and symptoms may be difficult to recognize because they look different than in younger people. During this session behavioral health and primary care professionals will understand how depression affects baby boomers; how it often coexists with other medical conditions; and ways as a rural community we can create a safety net to address risk factors.  Objectives:

• Identify signs and symptoms of depression in older adults.
• Identify risk and protective factors of suicide specific to the older adult population
• Discuss how to strengthen the rural community safety net to reduce risks of depression and suicide.
• Identify appropriate depression screening tools for older adults.
• Recognize the impact of the pandemic on the older adult populations.

PRESENTER:  Bernie Seifert, MSW, LICSW earned her MSW degree with a sub-concentration in Aging from Boston University in 1984 and has been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker serving older adults and their families in New Hampshire since 1988.  She is currently the Director of Adult Programs at NAMI NH (National Alliance on Mental Illness NH).  Over the past several years, she has conducted numerous trainings on topics for varied audiences, including programs focusing on care giving, dementia, mental health and suicide prevention.  She is also the Geriatric Mental Health Training Coordinator at the Northern New England Geriatric Education Center at the Dartmouth Centers on Health and Aging in Lebanon, NH.  Previous work experiences include: Seniors Count Liaison at Easter Seals NH; Consultant for Older Adult Services at the NH Division of Behavioral Health; Director of Bedford Counseling Services and Senior Services at the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester; and Psychiatric Social Worker at New Hampshire Hospital.  Her current affiliations include the Board of Directors for the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) (term 2019-22), Board of Directors of the NH Chapter of NASW (2007-17, President 2015-17), the NH Coalition on Substance Abuse, Mental Health and Aging (Chairperson), NH Coalition on Caring, and the NH Attorney General’s Elderly and Vulnerable Adult Fatality Review Committee.

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1.5 Contact Hours Available
Certified Prevention Specialist Domain:  6
LADC/MLADC Categories of Competence:  4, 15-18
CRSW Performance Domains:  4, 5
NASW: LICSW/LMFT/LCMHC & Psychologist:  Category A Continuing Education hours for licensure have been applied for through NASW NH 

Physicians: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the North Country Health Consortium/NNH AHEC and NH Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors Association.  The North Country Health Consortium/NNH AHEC is accredited by the NH Medical Society to provide continuing medical education for physicians.  The North Country Health Consortium/NNH AHEC designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurses: North Country Health Consortium/NNH AHEC is approved as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the Northeast Multistate Division, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.  This activity was approved for 1.5 Nursing Contact Hour(s). Activity #478.

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