The health and wellness of older adults is intrinsically linked to their behavioral health, which includes the thoughts and emotions a person experiences, and the habits and actions that a person takes during the course of their daily life. More importantly, it looks at how those behaviors affect an individual’s overall well-being and their ability to function in day-to-day activities. Behavioral health is commonly called mental health, but it also includes substance use prevention and substance use disorders. While behavioral health seeks to promote resilience and positive health changes for adults, it simultaneously addresses untreated behavioral health conditions that may affect a person’s life, such as anxiety, depression, impulsivity, self-harm, or suicidal behavior.
If you, or someone you know, is experiencing suicidal behaviors or emotional distress, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
As adults age, some individuals may experience profound social isolation. Whether the isolation arises from absence of family, decreased mobility, or public health emergencies, the need to connect remains a constant.
DOEA has curated some national, state, and local behavioral health resources to assist older adults in receiving mental health and substance abuse services and remain connected to their community.
National
State
Regional (by DOEA Planning and Service Area, or PSA)
PSA 1 – Pensacola Area
PSA 2 – Tallahassee Area
PSA 3 – Gainesville Area
- Elder Options
- Tele-Talk
- PEARLS (Program for Enhancing and Enriching Lives)
- 211 United Way of North Central Florida
PSA 4 – Jacksonville Area
- Elder Source, the Area Agency on Aging of Northeast Florida
- Caring Connections | ElderSource (myeldersource.org)
- Mental Wellness for Seniors (agingtrue.org)
- Senior Adult Psychiatric Services | Geriatric Mental Health (wekivacenter.com)
- COJ.net – Mental Health Services
- Personal Attention, Assistance & Inspiration | Impower (impowerfl.org)
PSA 5 – St. Petersburg Area
- Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas County
- Staying Healthy Mentally And Emotionally
- NAMI Pinellas County (nami-pinellas.org)
- NAMI Pasco
- Jewish Family and Community Services Older Adult Mental Health
PSA 6 – Tampa Area
PSA 7 – Orlando Area
PSA 8 – Fort Myers Area
PSA 9 – West Palm Beach Area
PSA 10 – Sunrise Area
PSA 11 – Miami Area
