Mental Health and Elder Care

Tennessee’s Geriatric Initiative

Helping Tennesseans by:

• Providing education and training for persons working in geriatric mental health.
• Exploring treatment options including integrated mental health and primary health care delivery.
• Providing educational and outreach activities including awareness of treatment and its effectiveness.
• Providing education directed at identifying mental health needs of older adults such as high suicide rates, depression and dementia.
• Identifying and securing potential new sources of funding to support existing and expanding services.

This initiative will also facilitate the recommendations older adult coalitions have been developing in Nashville, Knoxville, and Upper East Tennessee.

Additionally, the TDMHDD oversees the pre-admission screening and annual review (PASSAR) of nursing home residents with mental illness and mental retardation.

To inquire about the Geriatric Initiative, contact Jacqueline Talley, in the Office of Special Populations & Minority Services.