Commission on Aging September speaker to focus on mental health concerns

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Vancouver, Wash. – The toll depression can take on an older adult’s health can be severe. Depression can complicate treatment of chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease or cancer and make taking care of yourself or seeking treatment more difficult. Learn how to recognize the signs of depression and importance of seeing a health practitioner for treatment at the Tuesday, Sept. 19, meeting of the Commission on Aging.

The 4:30 p.m. meeting will be in the sixth-floor Hearing Room of the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St. It is open to the public.

Two experts from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI, of Southwest Washington will speak about mental health conditions that are not part of normal aging, how to identify symptoms, and what treatment options are available.

Also, Vancouver City Councilmember Alishia Topper will provide an update on the city’s affordable housing fund.

The Sept. 19 discussion is the fifth of eight meetings this year focused on supportive services, especially for people 50 and older. Research shows that 87 percent of people prefer to retire in place and will need a variety of services so they can remain in their home as long as possible. For a schedule of topics, please go to www.clark.wa.gov/community-planning/2017-supportive-services-speaker-series-0.

The Commission on Aging, supported by the Clark County council, is a nine-member volunteer group that implements the Aging Readiness Plan and provides leadership addressing needs of aging community members. For more about the commission, please visit www.clark.wa.gov/community-planning/commission-aging.

Commission meetings are carried live on CVTV Channel 23 and online at www.cvtv.org. To see replay times, go to www.cvtv.org

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CONTACT
Jacqui Kamp
Planner
Community Planning
564.397.4913
jacqui.kamp@clark.wa.gov