Key Takeaways

  • Each year in May, the Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day symposium is held as a free educational event for professionals.

  • The symposium is hosted by NCOA, the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) along with other federal and non-federal partners.

  • Learn more about the 2021-2023 events and see their impact in the evaluation reports.

To bring awareness to the need for mental health support for older adults, NCOA hosts the yearly Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium.

The 6th annual Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium was held on May 11, 2023. This free event was co-sponsored with the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the E4 Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Disparities in Aging.

Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium 2023 Impact Report

The 6th annual Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium featured individuals sharing their personal mental health stories as well as those of caregivers and family members. The nine sessions also highlighted research findings on the state of mental health in older adults and promising programs and interventions.

The symposium ended with a call to action for all participants—to think about who they can partner with to better serve older adults and caregivers in their communities.

A few event highlights:

  • Almost 5,000 people participated in this year’s symposium live—the largest audience to date.
  • Emmy-award-winning TV personality Montel Williams served as the keynote speaker. He shared about how having multiple sclerosis (MS) impacts his mental health.
  • Up to 5.5 continuing education credits were offered at no cost to participants for multiple disciplines including nurses, social workers, and physicians.

Call to actions for attendees:

This report includes summaries and key takeaways from each session:

More about Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium impact

Year Summary
2022, Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium

The 5th annual Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium was held on May 16 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET. There were nine sessions. Some highlights:

  • Over 3,800 people participated in this year’s symposium live.
  • CBS Sunday Morning host Jane Pauley served as the keynote speaker and set the stage by telling her personal journey with mental health
  • For the first time, free continuing education credits were offered at no cost to participants.

Download the report

2021, Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium

The 4th annual Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium, the first hosted by NCOA, was expanded from the two-hour event of previous years to a full day and was held live online, 10 a.m.-5:15 p.m. ET. Nine sessions covered such topics as addressing ageism, what behavioral health access looks like in diverse populations, and the latest in substance use interventions. Some highlights:

  • The keynote speaker, Ashton Applewhite, discussed how we can take action to end ageism.
  • By the day of the event, 4,291 people registered, and 2,179 people attended at least one session live.
  • During the closing session, attendees were asked to make a pledge on what steps they will take at their office, home, and in their community to make a change based on what they learned during the symposium.

Download the report

This project was supported, in part by grant number 90CSSG0048 from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy.