Psychosocial Resource Manual (PRM)
Psychosocial Approaches to Mental Health Challenges of Late Life. The funding for this project was awarded to the BC Psychogeriatric Association by Health Canada, Population Health Fund, and is being coordinated by the Seniors Psychosocial Interest Group (SPIG).
The purpose of the Psychosocial Resource Manual is to disseminate information about psychosocial approaches being used to promote and/or support older adults' mental health, and/or prevent or address seniors' mental health problems and disorders.
The goal of the PMR is to share innovations with each other in the field so that we can build on our collective experience.
The material documented has been submitted by service providers, seniors organizations, researchers and others from across Canada. The submissions include individual and group interventions, models of care, and approaches (services, advocacy, research) addressing factors in the social context that can negatively impinge on seniors' mental health .
Psychosocial approaches are broadly defined for the purpose of the PMR. We are defining psychosocial as: the psychological and social (relational and environmental) factors that can influence mental health positively or negatively, whether the individual possesses good mental health or suffers from a mental disorder.
Psychosocial approaches can be at the individual, group or organizational level.
Examples of psychosocial approaches are:
- mental health promotion (e.g., information to prepare for critical transitions such as retirement or bereavement)
- community/social strategies that support mental health by facilitating social relationships (such as seniors’ drop in centres, senior peer visiting, transportation)
- non-biomedical clinical interventions to address mental health problems and disorders (e.g., cognitive therapy, music; therapy, support groups)
- creation of social milieus that support mental health (e.g., elder friendly communities or hospitals)
- environmental approaches to prevent behavioural and psychiatric symptoms of dementia (e.g., strategies to reduce stimuli, wandering spaces);
- policy approaches (e.g., B.C. Guidelines for Best Practices in Elderly Mental Health; Seniors Mental Health Policy Lens).
You are encouraged to contact those who submit for additional information required about particular approaches.
The Psychosocial Resource Manual is a living document, and we need your contributions to keep it going.
Please send new material (in both English and French if possible) to pmaccourt@shaw.ca
The Psychosocial Resource Manual is a living document. Please send new material (in both English and French if possible) so we can continue to build this resource, to pmaccourt@shaw.ca email: Penny MacCourt
Click here to view the Manual (english) pdf format
Click here to view the Manual (french) pdf format
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