Big Picture, continued
ElderLynk: Because Rural Health Care is Different
When geriatric psychologist Rene McGovern began developing a mental health project to reach older adults in rural northeastern Missouri, she quickly realized that her experience designing outreach strategies in Cleveland, Ohio, would not necessarily apply.
An assistant professor of geriatrics at Case Western Reserve University, McGovern was familiar with research on mental health among the rural aging: the significantly higher rate of alcoholism, the shortage of mental health providers, transportation barriers, the lack of knowledge among rural elders of the role of counseling and how to access mental health services, and a general hesitance to ask for help.
But McGovern also learned a few things not in the research. For example, as she and her colleagues began assessing communities, they discovered that competition among providers – typically primary care health practitioners – tended to be “quiet but fierce” and collaboration was rare. “Rural health providers appeared to be accustomed to practicing independently and rarely identifying a mental health problem, particularly in the elderly,” she reported.
Building on what they learned, McGovern and her colleagues designed ElderLynk, an outreach program begun in 2000 to address the mental health needs of rural adults age 65+ in 10 counties in northeastern Missouri. An ongoing strategy of ElderLynk is to coordinate with local primary care physicians and other local health care partners to provide mental health services as an integral part of existing community health clinics.
“We link up with agencies and providers that are already serving our communities,” ElderLynk materials say, “to coordinate and enhance their services. We use brochures, an 800-phone number, newspaper postings, radio spots, health fairs, community service groups, ministerial groups, and mental health breakfasts to reach people.”
ElderLynk received U.S. Health and Human Services funding last year to expand its faith-based efforts to develop congregation-based self-help and education programs and build social support for older members dealing with mental health issues. In addition, the HHS funding will help ElderLynk provide community education and awareness programs on mental health issues, train local health professionals in mental health issues among the aging population, and identify and develop “home-grown” mental health practitioners committed to the region.
For more information about ElderLynk, go to www.elderlynk.org and www.samhsa.gov/StateSummaries/detail/mo.aspx.