Mental Health Services for the Elderly
Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority’s Mental Health Services for the Elderly Program is a multi-disciplinary program for people who live in the region. It aims to provide assessment and treatment recommendations for older adults with mental health concerns and/or cognitive difficulties affecting their daily life activities. Consultation and collaboration occurs with the individual, family, and other service providers involved to offer the best person-focused care possible.
To inquire about these services, please call:
1-866-757-6205 toll free or 204-785-7752 (Selkirk and area)
Note that you can refer yourself to our programs through Central Intake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some signs of unsafe driving are: losing your way, having less confidence in your driving skills, other drivers honking at you, missing stop signs or traffic lights, mixing up the gas and brake pedals, having problems with lane changes and merging, having minor accidents or traffic tickets, your passenger needs to help you, or family and friends refuse to get in the car with you.
What are the differences between normal aging and dementia?
Signs of normal aging are: not being able to remember small details of a conversation or event that took place a year ago, not being able to remember the name of an acquaintance, forgetting things and events occasionally, occasionally having difficulty finding words, or you are worried about your memory but your relatives are not.
Signs of dementia: not being able to recall details of recent events or conversations, not recognizing or knowing the names of family members, forgetting things or events more frequently, frequent pauses and substitutions when finding words, or your relatives are worried about your memory, but you are not aware of any problems.
What is a power of attorney?
A power of attorney is a legal document in which one person (called the donor) gives authority to another person (called the attorney) to manage some or all of the donor’s financial affairs. Powers of attorney deal only with financial affairs, and not with personal decisions.
What is an enduring power of attorney?
The law provides that the authority under a power of attorney ends if the donor becomes mentally incompetent and incapable of managing his or her own financial affairs. However, the law also allows a donor to include a clause in the power of attorney document allowing the attorney to continue acting even if the donor later becomes mentally incompetent. If this clause (called the enduring clause) is included in the power of attorney, the document is referred to as an enduring power of attorney.
What can I expect from the Adult Day Program?
The primary objective of the Adult Day Program is to strengthen the individual’s ability to function within their own home by preventing physical and mental deterioration, which so often results from social isolation and loneliness. The Adult Day Program is for older adults to meet other people and enjoy recreational activities away from home. Programming is designed for fun, fitness and social activity. The service is accessed through Home Care Services and there is a fee for this service.
Support Groups
The Alzheimer Society of Manitoba offers support groups for both individuals living with Dementia and their family and friends. You can head to their webpage for more details.
You can learn more about the programs provided by the Mood Disorders Association of Manitoba at the Gordon Howard Centre in Selkirk.
Resources and Websites
Looking for resources?
Resources such as smartphone applications, websites, and print resources are effective ways for individuals to take charge of their own recovery and manage their mental health.
These resources do not replace treatment recommendations by a primary health care provider, but are a way to help learn about mental health and manage it in a healthy and effective way.
Anxiety Disorders Association of Manitoba (ADAM)
Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)
Children of Parents with a Mental Illness
FACE COVID: How to Respond Effectively to the Corona Crisis
Family Guide to Mental Health Recovery
Government of Canada: Elder Abuse
Government of Canada: Dementia
Government of Manitoba: Primary Caregiver Tax Credit
Government of Manitoba: Protection for Persons in Care
Government of Manitoba: Public Guardian and Trustee of Manitoba
IncludeMe – A Starting Point for Dementia Caregivers
Interlake-Eastern RHA Home Care
Interlake-Eastern RHA Housing and Personal Care Homes
Manitoba Farm & Rural Support Services
Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) Activity Book
Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC)
Print Resources
Alzheimer’s and Dementia:
Learning to Speak Alzheimer’s: A groundbreaking approach for everyone dealing with the disease (2004) By Joanne Koenig Coste
Creating Moments of Joy for the Person with Alzheimer’s: A Journal for Caregivers 4th Ed. (2008) By Jolene Brackey.
What If It’s Not Alzheimer’s?: A Caregivers Guide to Dementia (2007) By Gary Radin
You Say Goodbye and We Say Hello: The Montessori Method for Positive Dementia Care (2013) By Tom & Karen Brenner
A Loving Approach to Dementia Care (2011) By Laura Wayman
The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Other Dementias, and Memory Loss (2011) By Nancy L. Mace, M.A. and Peter V. Rabins, M.D., M.P.H.
Books donated by the Interlake-Eastern Suicide Prevention Committee to all 17 libraries within our Regional Health Authority:
When Someone you know has Dementia (2016) By Mary Schulz
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