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Monday, January 5th 2023 - Gut Health Part II

Did you know? Your gut, or gastrointestinal (GI) tract, is a long tube that runs from your mouth all the way to you anus and is responsible for digesting food, absorbing nutrients, and eliminating waste.  The gut is also home to trillions of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that make up our  gut microbiome. These microorganisms play a vital role in maintaining the health of our gut and the rest of the body. There are many factors that can affect gut health, including diet, stress, medication, and illness.  A diet high in processed, sugary, and high-fat foods can disrupt the balance of the gut microbiome and lead to digestive issues such as bloating, constipation, and diarrhea.  Chronic stress and certain medications, such as antibiotics, can also alter the gut microbiome and contribute to digestive problems. Maintaining a healthy gut is important for overall health and well-being. Here are some tips for improving gut health: Take probiotics: Probiotics...
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Thursday, October 13th 2022- Oregon's Older Adult Behavioral Health Initiative

 


The Behavioral Health Initiative for Older Adult and People with Physical Disabilities was created in 2015 to support the behavioral health of older adults and people with disabilities in local and regional community mental health programs around the state.


Goal: It is our goal to focus on reducing health problems, improve the quality of life for older adults and persons with disabilities, and the improvement of access to behavioral health services. 

How: Funding supporting the Project Director and 26 Behavioral Health Specialists located across Oregon in community based partnerships. 

To better meet the needs of older adults and people with disabilities by improving timely access to care from qualified providers who work together to provide coordinated, quality and culturally responsive behavioral health and wellness services.

What: The Older Adult Behavioral Health Specialist are working with their community partners to address 3 areas.

  • Improvement of access to behavioral health providers, services and benefits;
  • Improvement of the knowledge and skills of people who provide services or care to the population; and
  • Improvement of the population’s knowledge about signs and symptoms of behavioral health problems and how to address them


                                The Older Adult Behavioral Health Specialist

Goal:

  • Improve access to behavioral heath care
  • Increase workforce knowledge and skills
  • Engage Community Partners
  • Working Upstream on Primary prevention

How:

Improving access to behavioral heath care

  • Build and participate in multidisciplinary teams 
  • Overcome billing barriers and increasing access to providers
  • Adapting services to meet the needs Specifically of Older Adults
  • Support the increase of public guardians and conservators. 

Increase workforce knowledge and skills

  • Training the long-term care workforce by delivering designed training to inform best care strategies for providers.
  • First Responder Training & Mental Health First Aid 
  • Education of clinicians and services providers
  • Organization of conferences providing inter-professional education around older adult behavioral health, healthy aging, care coordination and case management.     

Engaging Community Partners 

  • Elimination of barriers between agencies
  • Building Stakeholder alliances
  • Combining to target specific issues
  • Merging education and socialization by providing free training to direct service staff to increase their ability to serve older adults and people with disabilities.

Working Upstream on Primary Prevention 

  • Addressing loneliness and isolation in older adults
  • Extending services to rural communities
  • Increasing support systems and awareness 
  • Creating community support through social engagement programs 
See anything that could support you or your community?
Would you like the support of a Specialist in your area? 

See you soon & Thank You for your presence. 
JamiQuan R. MSW, QMHP
Older Adult Behavioral Health Specialist
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