Healthy IDEAS Program for area seniors

The Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) provides a range of services such as home delivered meals, social/recreation opportunities at both senior centers and congregate dinning for area older adults. AAA’s can also provide home personal care and home health aides as well contract a provider for adult day care services.

At the Pike County AAA, the Healthy IDEAS Program was designed specifically with seniors in mind. IDEAS - Identify Depression Empowering Activities for Seniors - was developed to conduct an assessment to identify depressive symptoms in older adults and connect them with services and resources that can help. The program also helps them identify and set up coping mechanisms such as enjoyable activities to lift moods.

The Healthy IDEAS case manager comes to the home for a visit and assessment to talk with the senior about what depression is, available professional help that is available, and their lives and activities they do or used to do. The case managers are not mental health professionals and don’t diagnose depression, but they do work to come up with a plan that the senior can add to their routine to help lift their moods by starting with small changes.

“Healthy IDEAS Program was a wake up call for me,” Healthy IDEAS Program graduate Margie Mullins said. “After speaking with the compassionate, understanding, case manager, I found it impossible to pretend anymore that I was O.K. The Case Manager gently guided me, making little suggestions of changes I could make, allowing me to be right where I was and in control of what I wanted to put into my plan.”

Mullins said that before connecting with the case manager, she had been home for sick months due to a medical issue, which contributed to her depressed mood. She is now back to attending church, connecting with friends and driving, which she attributed to the program.

“I feel that The Healthy IDEAS Program encourages a way out of symptoms of depression for seniors,” she added.

Pike County Area Agency on Aging is located at 150 Pike County Blvd. in Hawley. For more information, call (570) 775-5550.