With thanks to: Human Services Social Worker: Olivia Donnelly, MSW and Mike Suntag, Educational Consultant, Director of CARE, An organization dedicated to promoting racial equity and cultural competence within the Stratford, CT community.
In 2013, Community Services conducted the first Adult Mental Health First Aid course with Sterling Community Center, securing a seed grant from the AT&T Foundation to partner with Community Services on a pilot program. The current Adult Mental Health First Aid Course was sponsored by the Stratford Rotary Club’s investment to bring back a program with such strong roots in the community.
Adult Mental Health First Aid was conducted at the Baldwin Center. The free training was open to all who work or live in Stratford. The intense two-day event was a skills-based training that taught us how to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of a mental health or substance use challenge in adults ages 18 and over. It is designed so that at the end of the training, any stigma on mental health issues were removed and we were non-judgmental. Upon completion of the course we would be certified Adult Mental Health First Aiders, and positioned to be the first line of help for mental health in adults.
The class was conducted by Olivia Donnelly, assisted by Mike Suntag. Olivia is a member of the Human Services team for the Town at the Baldwin Center. She is responsible for providing Stratford residents across the lifespan with a wide range of social work services, including resources, information, and referrals for various needs.
This was the second adult MHFA class offered in Stratford, and there were 12 of us in the class representing diverse backgrounds.
Since Covid, mental health has finally been identified and discussed openly through media, as well as practitioners. Seniors were especially at risk as the shutdown took away their ability to socialize with peers and family. Many seniors were not able to communicate through social media or texting on their mobile phone, if they had one.
Another senior risk factor was that in many cases in Stratford, family members were not physically present in the community, and so unable to visually determine if their senior family members were undergoing mental health issues. The present political turmoil, plus decreases in services such as SNAP and Medicaid, and increases in the cost of health insurance and utilities were also mentioned as factors that can lead to anxiety – the number one mental health issue for seniors.
Substance abuse has seen an uptick in today’s seniors, many of whom are “Baby Boomers”, who welcomed the loosening of regulations regarding Marijuana Legalization and the rolling out of THC gummies. Over-indulging in marijuana, and especially THC gummies, which taste like candy, can result in substance abuse behavior.
According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA.gov), 1 in 5 American adults’ experience a mental health disorder. In a national survey on Drug Use and Health administrated by SAMHSA, 46.6 million people, 9 % of adults ages 18 years or older, experience a mental illness or substance use disorder each year.
Adult Mental Health first aid is considered a first aid course, not unlike those for CPR, but instead of learning what to do in a cardiac arrest, we were taught to identify symptoms of mental health and substance abuse, how to assess, and take action.
Both instructors, Olivia Donnelly, MSW, and Mike Suntag, continually stressed throughout both days that we were not a substitute for medical care, counseling, peer support, or treatment.
The class taught ways to assess and identify warning signs, and many, myself included, did not really have knowledge of specific disorders, risk factors and warning signs. This class was able to educate us on what the disorders were, and the best way as a First Aider to assess, and take the next steps.
The course taught us what to look for, how to identify (signs and symptoms), and MHFAa action plans for: depression, anxiety, trauma, trauma-related and stressor-related disorders, bipolar disorder, psychosis, eating disorders, substance use disorder, non-suicidal self-injury, and suicide. By the way, anxiety disorders top the list of mental health disorders affecting seniors.
This was accomplished through what a five-step action plan termed ALGEE.
A: Approach, assess for symptoms/signs
L: Listen non-judgmentally
G: Give reassurance and information
E: Encourage appropriate professional help
E: Encourage self-help and other support strategies
