Agency targets senior suicides

CHICOPEE - A free elder suicide prevention training program is under way, thanks to Hawthorn Services Inc.

It focuses on identifying senior citizens at risk for suicide, and learning how to make referrals to appropriate services.

Development Director Janet M. Simeone said this week, "It is up to us to do what we can to increase our efforts in prevention strategies for our valued older adult members."

Hawthorn is a private nonprofit agency serving seniors and others with aging, mental health, and other problems. It operates group homes in Chicopee and Holyoke, as well adult day health programs in Chicopee, Springfield, and West Springfield.

Simeone said the program dubbed "Living is for the Elderly (LIFE)" is possible through a state Department of Public Health grant, and "is a community gatekeeper training program that contains theoretical and experiential learning.

She said, "Emphasis is given to skill building and practical application of skills so that participants leave the training with more confidence in their ability to successfully refer elders-at-risk" for help.

The aim is to educate elder care providers, care givers, and elders themselves.

There have been inquiries from councils on aging, elder housing units, EMTs, police, and visiting nurse associations.

The lead trainer is psychologist Kerry M. Morrison, who has a private practice in Greenfield. She is the program director-lead trainer of the Garret Lee Smith Memorial Grant for Suicide Prevention at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and previously served as an elder service specialist with the Department of Mental Health.

Morrison said, "We are hoping to train police, emergency service workers, folks who transport elders to appointments. We are not limiting it to any one group. Suicide does increase with age, and research has shown that depression and hopelessness is involved.

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