Category Archives: Mental Illness and Addiction

Past Free Webinar: “Keys to Understanding and Ethically Treating Geriatric Depression and Anxiety,” January 22, 2018

By: Steven Atkinson, PA-C, MS, Founder & Partner at Twin Cities Physicians

Handout – Ethically Treating Depression and Anxiety

Clinical depression in the elderly is common, affecting approximately 6 million older adults. Being depressed almost always risks a concomitant anxiety disorder. These diagnoses alone heighten other problems, such as cardiac diseases and doubling the risk of death caused by suicide compared with the general population. The problem is only about 10% of those elderly adults ever receive treatment. Evidence for this suggests that depression and anxiety affects older adults differently than younger people, so it often goes under recognized. What may be thought of as a consequence of a co-morbid disease, may actually be depression. This webinar will demonstrate how to recognize the under recognized and give you the best treatment options available.

Continue reading

Past Free Webinar – Opioids and Older Minnesotans: What to Know and What to Do – July 18, 2018

By: Aaron Leppin, MD, MSc, Assistant Professor/Researcher, Division of Health Care Policy and Research, Mayo Clinic; Aging Policy Fellow, Minnesota Board on Aging
Kate Erickson, MSW, Opioid Overdose Prevention Director, Minnesota Department of Health
Jodie Dvorkin, MD, MPH, Associate Medical Director, Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement – ICSI

Handout – Opioids & Older Minnesotans – Leppin 7.18.18

Handout – Opioids & Older Minnesotans – ICSI – Dvorkin 7.18.18

Approximately 3% of Minnesota adults misuse prescription opioids. Opioid deaths have been increasing since the year 2000 and reached 395 in 2016. Rates of treatment for nonfatal overdose have increased significantly in aging adults.

Continue reading