LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – Louisville’s senior population is growing rapidly, meaning more resources are needed to support those in our community who are 65 and older.
On Monday, March 9, three organizations called the announcement of a new partnership “a step in the right direction” in bringing mental health resources, education and healthcare to West Louisville.
“This partnership represents a shared vision,” Jill Blackwell-Young with ElderServe said. “Bringing together clinical expertise, academic leadership and community-based care to strengthen the services available to older adults and their families.”
ElderServe has been helping Louisville’s seniors in the west end since the 1960s. Their goal is to empower older adults to live independently and with dignity.
“Aging affects every part of a person’s life,” Timothy Findley Jr. with ElderServe said. “It affects physical health, emotional well-being, relationships and the ability to remain connected to the community.”
Their mission got a little easier on Monday thanks to a new partnership with UofL’s School of Nursing and Creative Spirits Behavioral Health.
“We believe in transforming broken lives into creative spirits, and that’s where the name comes from,” Dr. Kilen Gray with Creative Spirits Behavioral Health, Inc said. “And the thing that we do know, the reality that we do know, is that if there’s any segment of our population that deserves mental health care, it’s our senior citizens.”
ElderServe says care is strengthened in several critical ways.
UofL nursing students get hands-on experience; seniors get to interact with young people; loneliness, grief, anxiety and depression are addressed through Creative Spirits; and healthcare needs are met – all in one place.
Why now? The aging population is skyrocketing and healthcare systems are feeling the weight.
“The United States is in the midst of a profound demographic transformation,” Dr. Kimberly Hartson with the UofL School of Nursing said. “So within the next decade, there will be more Americans over the age of 65 than any other time in our history of this nation. Our hospitals, clinics and community organizations are already feeling the weight of that shift.”
Seniors who need these resources can visit ElderServe on South 28th Street. More information about the services offered can be found on their website by clicking or tapping here.
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