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Welcome
Geriatric Specialist |
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“I
always thought that feelings of depression and hopelessness
were a normal part of aging. Now I know that I am
not supposed to feel this way.”
-Anonymous
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As
a professional specialized in working with a geriatric or
aging population, you may already be aware of the necessity
for suicide prevention initiatives.
Older
adults, people aged 65 and older, are a population at high
risk for suicide. Older adults make up approximately
13 percent of the population in the United States.
Yet, older adults accounted for 18 percent of all suicide
deaths in 2000.
Among
the highest rates for suicide in 2000, when categorized by
gender and race, were white men age 85 and older: 59 deaths
per 100,000 persons in 2000, more than five times the national
U.S. rate of 10.6 per 100,000 (Reference 1).
Suicide and suicide prevention
awareness, training, and advocacy are essential when working
with older adults. |
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| References
for Geriatric Specialist Introduction |
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| Learn
about associated factors with suicide risk and other age specific
factors impacting older adults and suicidality. Increased
education and awareness can positively impact your community
and increase the safety of your clients. |
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| What
to do to help as a Geriatric Specialist
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| Find
information about what to do to increase the effective treatment
of older adults with suicidal thoughts and actions including
education and the importance of timely communication, referral,
and treatment for suicidality in older adults. Advocating
for enhanced suicide prevention efforts will continue to positively
impact the population that you currently work with as well as
the larger population. |
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| What
education is available for a Geriatric Specialist
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| Continuing
education is a consistent need for Geriatric Specialists to
maintain their licensure, certification, and awareness. Information
about topics like publications, online tools, and suicide prevention
organizations is also available. |
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| What
researchers are doing to impact Geriatric Specialists
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| Current
information about research efforts and findings are available
as well as research topics like statistics and research organizations
that will be of interest to Geriatric Specialists. |
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| What
other resources are available for Geriatric Specialists
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| Not
all information “fits” into a specific category. Additional
resources are available that will be of interest to you as a
Geriatric Specialist. |
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| Geriatric specialist
as intermediary pages were last updated September 15, 2004 |
