Embrace Living Communities (ELC) is serious about their residents’ mental well-being and considers mental health to be a core component of what it means to age well in their communities. That’s why they’re investing in training for their team to better respond to residents’ mental health needs, specifically through Mental Health First Aid.
What is Mental Health First Aid?
Mental Health First Aid is “an evidence-based, early-intervention course that teaches participants about mental health and substance use challenges” through the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. ELC is having all their social service coordinators complete Mental Health First Aid by July so they can have the tools necessary to not only respond to mental health situations but also be proactive in identifying potential issues and preventing them.
Why Social Service Coordinators?
Social service coordinators interact with residents on a daily basis and are responsible for checking in on how they’re doing and what they might need. Having a course like Mental Health First Aid in their arsenal of resources has the potential to save the lives of residents who are showing signs of mental illness and/or substance use disorders.
Janet’s Mental Health First Aid Story
One of our social service coordinators is Janet Ramirez, who works at ELC’s Peace Memorial Manor community. Every day, Janet has appointments with residents where they ask about resources and programs, and part of her job is to make sure she connects them with what they need. She completed four weeks of online Mental Health First Aid training in March and says it was eye-opening.
“It helped me realize and understand that sometimes when we think we’re helping, we’re probably not de-escalating a situation as best as we could,” says Janet. “In a community like this, where there are over 170 residents, everyone is dealing with a different trauma or medical condition. It’s important to sit and reflect and try to assist residents in ways that will actually de-escalate situations versus pushing them away from receiving the help that they need.”
Not only has Mental Health First Aid shaped how Janet approaches her job, but it’s also shaped how she approaches self-care outside of work.
“Mental Health First Aid was emotional for me because I do feel like I am that support for my family as well, and I realized that as someone that’s always helping, I need to take a step back and help myself sometimes,” says Janet. “I think that moving forward, I can take everything I learned and not only assist the residents here but continue to assist my family in a more effective way as well.”
In addition to investing in mental health training for their team, ELC is also investing in the programs they’re able to provide residents to address their mental health. Learn more about how one grant funded wellness programming for 1,400 residents.
Interested in supporting ELC? Visit https://embraceliving.org/give/ for more information.
