Support for Mental Health in Older Adults: Carrier Clinic’s Older Adult Program
As we age, physical and lifestyle changes can lead to various challenges, including depression, negative self-image, difficulty coping with loss, and other psychiatric disorders. These issues can significantly impact the functioning and quality of life of older adults.
Carrier Clinic® offers a dedicated Older Adult Program designed specifically for individuals aged 60 and over. Our program serves as a safe haven, providing comprehensive short-term evaluation and treatment for unique psychiatric disorders. Our goal is to help older adults regain their quality of life.
We focus on integrating specialized treatment with essential family education and support. These components are vital for our patients’ success. Additionally, we develop a concrete discharge plan that includes follow-up services, ensuring positive long-term progress for each older adult during their stay.
If you or a loved one is struggling with mental health issues related to aging, consider Carrier Clinic®’s Older Adult Program for compassionate and effective care.
Crisis Hotlines
Hackensack Meridian operates four 24/7 crisis hotlines to support the needs of residents of New Jersey who are experiencing a psychiatric emergency, may have received care at our facilities, or are seeking referral or guidance to care or resources in New Jersey.
If you are experiencing an emergency or life-threatening situation and need immediate assistance call 911.
Please call the Hotline location closest to where you had or need care.
• Jersey Shore University Medical Center (Neptune) 732-776-4555
• Riverview Medical Center (Red Bank) 732-219-5325
• Raritan Bay Medical Center (Perth Amboy) 732-442-3794
• Palisades Medical Center (North Bergen) 201-854-5760
Carrier Clinic® provides specialty treatment services for older adults suffering from psychiatric illness with acute behavioral changes, neurological conditions and/or emotional difficulties related to:
- Alzheimer’s Disease and other types of dementia
- Anxiety Disorder
- Bipolar Disorder
- Major Depression
- Schizophrenia
Facilitated by a team specialized in geriatric treatment, the unit provides two distinct programs for older adults:
The Older Adult Program specializes in treatment for patients 60 years and older who are experiencing an acute phase of psychiatric illness, or behavioral disturbances from Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias.
The Active Senior Program specializes in treatment for patients 60 years and older who may be working, approaching retirement, or are recently retired, and suffering from acute disturbances from mood, anxiety and substance abuse disorders. The Active Senior possesses the cognitive abilities to positively respond to a higher level of education and therapeutic interventions while surrounded by their peers.
- Cognitive Screenings
- Family Education
- Grief and Loss Recovery Groups
- Group Therapy
- Medication Evaluation and Management
- Multi-Sensory Services
- Nutritional Consultations
- Occupation Therapy for Functional Impairments
- Physical Therapy
- State-of-the-Art ECT Services
Based upon the Snoezelen concept, Carrier Clinic®’s Older Adult Program’s Multi-Sensory room serves to enrich the treatment of people with dementia and other cognitive impairments by providing a safe sensory-stimulating means of calming patients.
Behavioral problems like aggression can arise when a person with dementia becomes angry and/or frightened because they do not understand what is happening in their surroundings. The multi-sensory experience is effective in that it does not require cognitive interpretation; rather, it utilizes the proven soothing effects of different lighting, soft-to-the-touch wall and furniture textures, aromatherapy, running waterfalls, fish tanks and other sensory aids to calm the agitated state. This concept is virtually failure-free because it enables the patient to interact with their environment on a level that is appropriate for their functioning capability.
