Workshop will identify warning signs of suicide among elderly

BEVERLY – An upcoming training workshop sponsored by Northeast Senior Health will examine difficult and often ignored topic: suicide in older adults.According to the latest data released by the American Association of Suicidology, as of 2009, an average of one older adult – a person that is 65 years old or older – died every hour and a half by suicide.The workshop, “Suicide and Aging,” will focus on risk factors and warning signs of suicide in older adults, preventative measures and ways to talk to and support someone considering suicide. The free and public workshop is also directed toward the employees at Northeast Senior Health, who deal exclusively with people at least 65 years old.Kim O?Brien, a training facilitator for the suicide prevention and awareness center Samaritans of Merrimack Valley, will be leading the workshop. The Samaritans of Merrimack Valley recently received a suicide prevention grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to develop such programming. Darcey Adams, director of community programs for Northeast Senior Health, which is under the Northeast Health System, said the workshop will fit nicely into Northeast Senior Health?s training offerings.?We see a lot of vulnerable people, so we want to make sure that our staff are prepared to recognize warning signs, know how to intervene and what resources are available for the caregivers and older adults that we?re working with,” she said.O?Brien said suicide is relatively prevalent in older adults, yet it is rarely discussed because of reasons like the stigma around suicide itself.?I don?t want to overstate it, but, in 2007, the elderly made up 12.5 percent of the [U.S.] population but they accounted for almost 15.7 percent of all suicides,” she said.There is a difference between a suicide risk factor and warning sign, O?Brien said, and timely discernment of both is key. Risk factors are aspects of a person?s life they cannot necessarily change, such as a certain personality trait or being divorced or widowed, she said. A warning sign, O?Brien said, is a sudden, out-of-character change in behavior, and could be anything from a person not doing something he or she previously enjoyed to engaging in dangerous behavior.The workshop will also cover communicating with a potentially suicidal older adult, and O?Brien said a handout will be distributed with helpful words and phrases so that the caregiver can build a trusting relationship with the older adult.?The overall message has to be that there is hope. There is help,” she said.The four-hour workshop will feature a number of activities, such as a PowerPoint presentation, small group activities and loosely structured role-play.?It involves a lot of interaction, a lot of back-and-forth,” she said.O?Brien said she expects the workshop?s attendees will gain a strong familiarity with suicide red flags so that they can better work with older adults who might be considering suicide and get them the help they need.?We hope to alleviate caregivers? anxiety around suicide, because we know it?s a scary word,” she said. “And if you ask the question, however you phrase it, ?Are you suicidal?,? you have to be prepared for the answer.”The “Suicide and Aging” workshop will be held on Tuesday, March 27 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Spectrum Adult Day Health, 600 Cummings Center, Suite 176X, in Beverly.Space is limited, and those interested in attending can RSVP to Susan Harrison at 978-921-2065, ext. 221 or [email protected] Mupo can be reached at [email protected].