Comprehensive Senior Assistance Program

Full-spectrum support for older adults

Nearly 100,000 people who are 65 or older live in El Paso County. In spite of these numbers, there is no comprehensive local system dedicated to prevention and early intervention in physical and mental health challenges among older adults.

With NextFifty Initiative grant funding, Silver Key Senior Services, the Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD), NAMI Colorado Springs and Innovations in Aging have come together in 2021 to develop such a system.

NAMI Colorado Springs will organize no-cost Mental Health First Aid trainings for family members, caregivers and clinicians who support older adults and need to know signs of mental health or substance use issues.

Silver Key will provide outreach, short-term and traditional case management to seniors who are identified as needing tailored services related to health and safety, nutrition assistance and more.

CSFD’s CARES program team will provide intensive, multi-disciplinary case management for seniors with more complex needs, and who tend to be frequent users of emergency services.

Innovations in Aging will collect and analyze data related to care improvements, cost savings and replicability of the partners’ work, with the goal of long-term systems change locally and beyond.

If you know of an older adult who could benefit from the services of Silver Key or CSFD's CARES team, please call Silver Key's Silver Line at 719.884.2300. If you are interested in organizing a Mental Health First Aid opportunity for your team or organization, please read below.

About this Mental Health First Aid opportunity

This training will prioritize the unique needs of older adults. In a two-hour, self-paced online class, followed by a 6.5-hour, instructor-led videoconference, Mental Health First Aid participants will learn ways to:

• recognize signs of mental illness and substance abuse
• navigate crisis situations
• initiate sensitive conversations with respect and dignity
• identify resources to support older adults

Here are some comments from caregivers who have completed the course:

It reminded me why I need to be patient and how to express proper concern without making the questions, or the conversation that needs to be addressed, about me. I would definitely recommend this course to other care providers ... Even if a stranger is in need, I feel much more equipped to handle the situation at hand rather than hoping someone else would step in.

The casework was relevant to the population and situations I work with daily.

Completing this class made me feel like I may be able to see or hear someone in crisis.

To schedule a training for up to 20 people, or for more information, contact NAMI family programs coordinator
Emily Brady by email or at 719.473.8477.

We also are organizing a training that's open to the public on June 3-4, from 9 a.m. to noon each day. Again, you can contact NAMI family programs coordinator Emily Brady by email or at 719.473.8477 to find out more and to register.