Geriatric Mental Health

Geriatric Mental Health Initiative

NYC Aging provides mental health services in local communities by placing licensed mental health clinicians at older adult centers in all five boroughs.

Mental health services offered in older adult centers include screenings to determine mental health needs, supportive and evidenced-based therapeutic counseling (which may be individual, group, family, or couples counseling), engagement activities to provide education and raise awareness about mental health symptoms, as well as providing information and referrals.

Our mental health services are available to all older New Yorkers ages 60 and older and are provided by bilingual/bicultural licensed clinicians who speak the community’s spoken languages, including Cantonese, Mandarin, Italian, Russian, and Spanish. You do not have to be an older adult center member to receive services. Services are offered in-person, virtually, or telephonically based on an individual’s preference.

Mental Health Warning Signs

Mental Health impacts how we think, feel, and how we cope with life stressors. Below are some signs that may indicate that a person should consider reaching out to speak with a mental health professional for help and support and include:

• Feelings of sadness or hopelessness
• Changes in eating or sleeping habits
• Loss of interest or motivation in day to day activities
• Withdrawal from people and activities that you enjoy
• Continuous feelings of fear or worry
• Feeling angry, or irritable
• Struggling to manage everyday stressors
• Thoughts of hurting oneself or others or thoughts of ending one’s life

How to reach Mental Health Services

If you, or someone you know, needs services or would like to learn more about NYC Aging’s Geriatric Mental Health Initiative, please call Aging Connect at 212-AGING-NYC (212-244-6469). If one has thoughts of suicide, call 911 immediately.