Montefiore Hudson Valley Collaborative (MHVC) is hosting Mental Health First Aid training in 2019. Mental Health First Aid is an 8-hour course that teaches you how to help someone who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge. The training helps you identify, understand and respond to signs of addictions and mental illnesses.

About this course:
Mental illness and aging can often be a double stigma. According to the National Council on Aging, there are more than 6 million Americans aged 85 and older. That number is expected to more than triple by the year 2050 when the youngest baby boomers turn 86. Older adults and care partners are less likely to identify a problem as a symptom of a mental health disorder.

Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis. In the Mental Health First Aid course, you learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help.