On November 27, 2017, an Innovation Planning Meeting was conducted. The focus was on answering the following question:
What is a hard to solve problem regarding the older adult mental health system of care in Marin?
(Consider: What is the problem? Why is it important? Who does it affect?)
Please review the ideas identified in the meeting below, then submit your ideas and feedback in the space provided at the bottom of this page.
A. Early Identification and Linkage to Services
Increasing the capacity to identify older adults who are experiencing risk for or symptoms of mental health issues and linking them to appropriate services
- How to effectively find at risk older adults
- How to identify risk/symptoms early on (isolation, depression, substance use, etc)
- How to link older adults to appropriate services
- If OA becomes eligible for MediCal, how do they find out about BHRS services
B. Co-Occurring Mental Health and Cognitive Issues
Improving the system of care’s ability to address individuals with mental health and cognitive issues
- How to best serve someone who has both mental health issues and a neurocognitive disorder
- How to best serve clients with dementia experiencing a crisis
C. Home-Bound
Increasing the ability for home-bound residents to access mental health and other supportive services
- How to effectively inform home bound residents about services
- How to increase mental health services for home bound residents
D. Education about Mental Health and Older Adults
Increasing knowledge about the signs and symptoms of mental health issues for older adults in order to better identify those needing services
- Educating providers
- Educating faith leaders and other informal providers who interact with older adults
- Educating family members
E. Addressing different needs of younger (60-70) vs older (70+)
F. Improving data collection and sharing
Develop a set of integrated data to better understand the older adult population and increase integration among different providers
G. Vietnamese Older Adults
Increasing services for linguistically isolated Vietnamese older adults with mental health needs who are not already a part of the system
H. Mental Health Services in Residential Care Facilities
Improving mental health services for those in residential care settings.
- Addressing the issue that residential care facilities getting higher ratings if they have less people on psychotropic meds, and possible implications for those who need them.
- Increasing the services
I. Service Integration
How to increase integration among providers to better address complex client needs
J. Homeless Older Adults
K. Substance Use
Addressing substance use that occurs as a way to deal with mental health issues
L. Depression
M. Transportation to services
N. Improving MH services for monolingual and/or undocumented residents
O. Lack of Psychiatrists for Medi-Medi
Please use the space below to: submit any feedback you have about the ideas listed, submit additional hard to solve problems, or to submit Innovative ideas for addressing any of the problems already on the list or that you have added. Note that innovative in this context must meet the State’s guidelines that the project contributes to learning how to solve the stated problem in one or more of the following ways:
- Introduces new, never-been-done-before, mental health and substance use service practices or approaches.
- Makes a change to an existing mental health and substance use system practice or approach including adaptation for a new setting.
- Introduces a new application to the mental health and substance use service system of a promising community-driven practice or approach that has been successful in a non-mental health setting.
For more information about Innovation, please see the MHSA Innovation Overview document on the right hand side of this page.