Saturday, February 1, 2025

Making mental health an integral part of primary care for older adults

By Selen Ozturk. Ethnic Media Services.

With a quarter of Californians expected to turn 65 by 2030, the state is looking for ways to better meet the mental health needs of older adults.

Making mental health an integral part of primary care for older adults
Image: Fancher Larson, a patient advocate for the nonprofit San Francisco Mental Health Clients' Rights Advocates, at a recent community roundtable hosted by the California Department of Aging. (Credit: Selen Ozturk v Ethnic Media Services)

San Francisco resident Fancher Larson has spent much of her career advocating for the rights of people with mental health issues. A senior, she was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's and now worries about what will happen to her adult son if she can't care for him.

Larson's story is among the array of mental and behavioral health challenges facing older adults in California and across the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.