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Jewish Family & Children Services’ A Guide for Staff in Housing for Older Adults

This guide helps families of people with mental illness find housing.

Tips & Techniques for Supporting Residents with Mental Illness:  A Guide for Staff in Housing for Older Adults (pdf)

This guide contains basic information about the most common mental illnesses; case studies; and tips, techniques, and suggested language to help people manage complex behaviors and demanding situations. It is not intended to be all inclusive, nor should the guide be used as a substitute for seeking guidance or assistance from a mental health professional.

This guide is written to address the mental health issues that often face residents in housing for older adults. It should be noted that this guide cannot address the specific mental health needs of the many cultures and language groups living in these communities. Beliefs and behaviors vary from culture to culture and this must always be considered when thinking about what is “normal “ behavior and what may indicate a mental health issue. For instance, a discussion of the “spirit’s” presence in the apartment of one culture may have a different diagnostic implication from the same discussion with a resident of another culture.

 

Fact Sheet last updated on: 6/19/2020