| WHO WE ARE:
The Heritage Program for Senior Adults is a mental health treatment
program that provides individualized treatment to older adults who suffer
from psychiatric, emotional, or behavioral disorders. The program offers
patients the opportunity to improve their quality of life by reducing
their distress and increasing their ability to function independently.
The Heritage Program is a mental health treatment program that provides
intensive treatment (outpatient operates Monday through Friday). A licensed
multidisciplinary treatment team provides treatment. Outpatient participants
are treated in the least restrictive environment and are able to return
to their homes each evening.
Please contact us if you have any questions. We are here to help you.
Address: 2000 S. FM 51
Decatur,
Texas 76234
Phone Number: (940) 627-2511
Business Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Corporate Website: http://www.heritagehealthservices.com/
OUR MISSION:
The mission of Heritage Health Services, L.P. is to assist hospitals
in providing the highest level of cost effective mental health care
to the growing percentage of the senior population suffering from mental
illness. Our goal is to serve senior adults and their families with
the respect and individual attention they deserve, and to assist patients
in attaining an enhanced quality of life in the best of physical and
mental health.
OUR HISTORY:
Heritage Health Services is a mental health management company based
in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1994, Heritage partners with 28 acute
care hospitals in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma to provide quality
psychiatric services.
The Program:
The Heritage Program for Senior Adults provides intensive and comprehensive
mental health care to individuals 55 years of age and older. The Program
is a department of the acute care hospital (outpatient program operates
Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.)
The Program is staffed with a multi-disciplinary team of health care
professionals directed by a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist provides
a thorough evaluation of the client’s treatment needs, prescribes
and monitors medications, and supervises treatment. The psychiatrist
works in close collaboration with primary care physicians.
The full time, on-site team consists of master’s level therapists/social
workers, registered nurses, and mental health technicians. The team
carries out the psychiatrist’s plan of care and provides a variety
of group, family, and individual therapies individualized to the needs
of the client.
As an outpatient program, Heritage focuses on maintaining and improving
the client’s independent living skills and quality of life. By
working in a community-based outpatient setting, the program can offer
a highly individualized plan for each individual client. Depending on
the needs of the client and the severity of symptoms, the plan can vary
from a few services to daily program attendance. Attendance and intensity
of services changes with the improvement of the client’s condition,
monitored by regular treatment plan reviews by the doctor and team.
The Treatment Plan:
After careful evaluation by the psychiatrist and treatment team, an
individualized plan of care is developed with participation and input
from the client and family. Often, a combination of medication and psychotherapy
is prescribed, which is recognized as the most effective approach to
full recovery. The family is involved in the plan of care from assessment
onwards, as the family is often a critical part of the social support
system of the client. The client and family are educated about the illness
and prescribed medications.
Verbal therapies are directed at educating the client about the nature
of the illness, reducing the sense of stigma which often accompanies
mental health problems, and improving the coping skills of the client.
Social withdrawal and isolation are frequently part of the problem,
and group based therapies can alleviate the sense that the client is
“all alone” in their suffering.
Discharge:
The Program is individualized but time limited. A central part of the
discharge plan is to engage the client in community-based activities
which keep the individual involved in meaningful and pleasurable activities
which can help prevent the return of symptoms. As the client recovers,
the frequency of care is reduced and discharge strategy is implemented
to sustain the improvements gained in the program. Some clients remain
in a limited involvement program to maintain improvements, while others
may be seen in periodic follow up visits with the doctor for medication
management.
Signs and symptoms of mental distress in the elderly:
Mental health disorders are often under recognized and under treated,
with serious consequences to the individual and family. These disorders
often co-exist with a variety of medical conditions such as diabetes,
heart disease, stroke, and arthritis. Quality of life is drastically
diminished by mental health disorders, and the disorders can greatly
increase risk of other medical illnesses or interfere with full recovery
from these illnesses.
Following are some common signs of mental distress in the elderly:
- Depression
- Weight Loss/Gain/Appetite Disturbance
- Anxiety
- Agitation
- Crying spells
- Suicidal Thoughts/Plans/Actions
- Unresolved Grief
- Cognitive Changes
- Anger/Irritability
- Social Withdrawal/Isolation
- Paranoia/Delusions
- Loss of pleasure in ordinary activities
- Frequent doctor visits or medical complaints without clear medical
findings
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