What is the Healthy IDEAS program?
Healthy IDEAS (Identifying Depression, Empowering Activities for Seniors) is a structured depression program that prepares case managers and care coordinators to identify depression in at-risk elders and to facilitate access to treatment. It targets underserved, chronically ill, older adults in the community and addresses commonly recognized barriers to mental health care: detecting depression, helping clients understand depression as treatable assisting them to gain knowledge and skills to self-manage it; and linking primary care, mental health care and social-service providers. Healthy IDEAS empowers clients to manage their depression through a behavioral-activation (BA) approach that encourages involvement in meaningful, positive activities.
