Geriatric Crisis Response Team

Geriatric Crisis Response Team of
GULF COAST JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES, INC.
14041 Icot Boulevard P Clearwater, Florida 33760 P
(727) 538-7460
www.gcjfs.org/svc-mental.htm

The Geriatric Crisis Response Team provides specialized intervention for elders at high risk of suicide. Conducted in close coordination with state Adult Protective Services, this holistic program provides in-home assessment, crisis intervention counseling, psychiatric evaluation, follow-up and case management with the overall goal of reducing the suicide rate among elders in Pasco and Pinellas Counties. Major program services include:

• home visits
• comprehensive in-home assessment
• 24 hour in-home crisis intervention
• care planning
• counseling by LCSW or MSW
• linkage with needed community services
• hospitalization via Baker Act
• follow up at 60 days after services

One of the foremost predictors, and the leading cause of suicidal behavior in the older adult, is depression. In most cases, depressive episodes are transient and recovery is spontaneous. Of greater concern are those episodes occurring for the first time after age 60, often characterized by prolonged periods of profound, depressed moods. These severe episodes often remain undetected, sometimes leading to suicide. Older adults are at highest risk for suicide. In the United States the annual suicide rate for individuals over age 65 is 11.6 per 100,000 individuals; in Florida the rate is 15.3 per 100,000. In Pinellas County the rate is an alarming 25.0 per 100,000. These data account for only those suicides reported, thus the actual rates are plausibly much higher.

Because older adults rarely actively seek out mental health assistance, an outreach program to support the older adult is crucial to suicide prevention, while allowing elders to maintain independence in the least restrictive environment possible, especially in one's own home. In response to the dilemma of how to best reach and intervene with older adults at risk of suicide, the Geriatric Crisis Response Team was formed and implemented in October 1994 with funding appropriated by the 1994 Florida Legislature. Conducted in close coordination with state Adult Protective Services, this holistic program targets individuals age 50 and older in Pinellas and Pasco Counties.

This innovative program receives referrals from the Department of Children and Families, social service agencies, home health agencies, law enforcement, individuals and others who deal with older adults. Staffed by masters level and licensed mental health professionals, with the availability of a consulting psychiatrist, the program serves to reduce depression and suicide risk through supportive in-home counseling and care management. Clients are stabilized within their environment, and linkage is provided with all services needed in order for the client to regain the level of functioning experienced prior to their personal crisis. Services typically are provided for up to 90 days.

The Geriatric Crisis Response Team has a professional staff of three masters-level or licensed mental health professionals. About 25 to 30 cases are open at any one time, with more than 200 people served annually. The program's budget is $180,000.