Mental Health Just as Important as Physical Wellness for Senior Citizens

Georgetown, DE (June 30, 2010): As Americans age, it’s only natural for people to suffer from stiff joints, frail bones and other health complications. Patients and doctors spend countless hours discussing ways to manage overall physical health. What is often overlooked, though, is mental health among senior citizens, various studies have found.

Kay Malone, chief operating officer of La Red Health Center in Georgetown, will be the featured guest speaker at the July meeting of the Sussex County Advisory Committee for the Aging & Adults with Physical Disabilities. Founded in 2001, La Red is one of only four federally qualified health centers in Delaware, serving approximately 6,500 patients – as many as half without any form of health insurance – each year.

Ms. Malone will discuss La Red’s services that are available to all residents of Sussex County, but will specifically highlight the organization’s geriatric services, including a senior mental health program, as well as preventive health and screenings. La Red’s Mental Health Services offers age-specific diagnostic and treatment options for depression, anxiety, and other disorders that put seniors – and their health – at risk.

The Advisory Committee invites the public to attend the committee’s next meeting at 10 a.m. Monday, July 19, 2010, at the Sussex County Administrative Offices West Complex on North DuPont Highway in Georgetown. An open discussion will follow the featured presentation.

The Sussex County Advisory Committee for the Aging & Adults with Physical Disabilities is an 11-member panel established by the Sussex County Council to be an advocate for programs and policies that benefit older and disabled residents. The committee meets every other month; all meetings are open to the public.

The Advisory Committee’s mission is to increase dialogue, make recommendations to Sussex County Council, and to give support, assistance and advice on significant issues and programs that may affect the lives of the county’s aging and adults with physical disabilities populations.

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Media Contact

Sally Beaumont, Committee Member
(302) 934-9047