Key Takeaways

  • The National Coalition on Mental Health and Aging (NCMHA) 2020/2021 Webinar Series targets topics addressing the needs of older adults with mental health conditions.

  • Watch the October 14 installment of the webinar series, covering "Older Adult Peer Support in a Time of COVID-19".

  • This webinar presents efforts to bring research to practice in the use of telehealth technology to provide peer support for older adults.

Watch the recap of the October 14, 2020 installment of the National Coalition on Mental Health and Aging's (NCMHA) Webinar Series: Older Adult Peer Support in a Time of COVID-19. Following the National Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day (OAMHD) events, NCMHA developed a plan to collaborate with interested government agencies, private sector groups, and experts to maintain the momentum and recommendations generated from OAMHD.

Peer support is an effective recovery intervention for older adults with mental health conditions. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the use of telephonic and digital technologies to deliver mental health services.

This October 14 webinar presents efforts to bring research to practice in the use of telehealth technology to provide peer support for older adults.

Cynthia Zubritsky provides an overview of telehealth in behavioral healthcare and describes how training for Certified Older Adult Peer Specialists (COAPS) has been adapted to use virtual approaches.

Robert Walker demonstrates how training on the use of digital technology has been put into practice in Massachusetts, and addresses how the delivery of peer support using these methods is reimbursable under the Medicaid waiver for Home and Community-Based Services.