Seniors Mental Health Outpatient and Outreach Programs
What this Program does…
We provide high quality and responsive seniors’ mental health care. The SJHH Seniors Mental Health Outpatient and Outreach Programs are designed to serve the complex mental health concerns of seniors.
Our services include:
- Comprehensive assessment, medication review/management, treatment planning with a geriatric psychiatrist or geriatrician and/or a member of our clinical team
- Time limited follow up/case management
- Consultation and individual or group health education for seniors, caregivers/and service providers
- Short term supportive counseling and/or individual and group psychotherapy (see section on group interventions)
- Assistance with behavioural management strategies
- Collaboration with family physicians, family members, other care partners and linkage to support services to help meet unmet needs
We do not provide formal capacity or forensic assessment or long term psychotherapy but will help to link you to resources.
We serve seniors residing in the Hamilton, Brant, Niagara, Halton and North West Mississauga communities. We offer clinic and outreach (e.g. home visiting) service. The outreach service is designed to serve the needs of those seniors who cannot or will not seek service in a traditional location such as a clinic and an office.
Our Hamilton-based program is primarily a clinic-based program located out of the Margaret & Charles Juravinski Centre for Integrated Healthcare (West 5th Campus) and offers outreach (e.g. home visit) for persons as needed, within our Hamilton catchment area. There are seniors referred to the clinic from areas beyond Hamilton.
Our Brant-based program is located out of St. Joseph’s Lifecare in Brantford and primarily is an outreach (e.g. home visiting) service to seniors in the community or seniors residing in any of the 8 Long Term Care Homes in Brantford or Brant County.
Our Niagara-based program is located out of a local office in St. Catharine's and is primarily an outreach (e.g. home visiting) service to seniors in the community or seniors residing in one of the 32 Long Term Care Homes in Niagara Region. The program also runs a clinic once per month from the Quest Community Health Centre in St. Catharine's.
Our Halton-based program is located out of a local office located in east Burlington and is primarily an outreach ( e.g. home visiting) service to seniors in a community setting in Halton Region or North West Mississauga or seniors residing in one of 23 Long Term, Care Homes in that catchment.
Website link: http://www.hgmhop.ca/default.asp
The Halton program is also staffed with a seniors concurrent disorder worker through a local partnership with Halton Alcohol Drug and Gambling Assessment Prevention and Treatment Services http://haltonadapt.org/. For more information please contact Kate Rizzuto at krizzuto@stjoes.ca or 905-681-8233 ext 233
Additionally St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton is the operational agency for the Halton based Psychogeriatric Resource Consultants (PRCs). Psychogeriatric Resource Consultants provide education, training, and consultative support to STAFF at long term care homes, CCAC's, and community agencies.
Psychogeriatric Resource Consultants (PRCs):
- Work as advisors, educators, facilitators, coaches, network and staff capacity builders to local Long-Term Care facilities and MOHLTC funded community support agencies
- Support providers that serve seniors who exhibit challenging or responsive behaviour associated with dementia, mental illness, addiction and/or neurological conditions.
- Are full and integrated members of the SJHH Halton Seniors Mental Health Outreach Team
The SJHH PRCs can be reached via email mpenko@stjoes.ca or scheers@stjoes.ca or by calling the Halton office 905-681-8233.
How this Program helps…
The SJHH Seniors Mental Health Outpatient and Outreach Service staff and affiliated physicians are here to provide comprehensive assessment, treatment planning, case management support, short term psychotherapy, health teaching, education, advocacy, consultation and collaboration as a means to serve and support seniors with complex mental health, addiction and behavioral issues which may include:
- Mood disorders ( e.g. depression, mania) anxiety, psychosis, progressive cognitive disorder and/or substance use disorder
- Behavioral complications associated with neurodegenerative cognitive impairment ( e.g. Alzheimer Disease)
- Chronic mental illness ( e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar disorder etc. ) complicated by age related decline in physical and mental health
Those persons who are under age 65 years of age requiring specialized assessment and/or management as described above will be considered on an individual basis. If we cannot meet the person’s needs we will work to connect the person to the appropriate service or supports.
We are also here to help and support those around the senior.
We value, respect and work closely with family members/caregivers, community partners including Family Physicians and those in primary care, Family Health Teams, Long Term Care Homes, retirement, and assistive living facilities, supportive housing, community support service agencies, the Community Care Access Centres, and the many hospitals in our catchments across the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant (HNHB) and Mississauga Halton (MH) Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs).
Your Care Teams
Dr. Peter Bieling, Director
Dr. Maxine Lewis , Clinical Head of Service
Julia Baxter, Clinical Manager
Consulting Physicians
Dr. Karen Saperson (Hamilton)
Dr. Tracy Cheng (Hamilton & Brant)
Dr. Maxine Lewis (Hamilton & Niagara)
Dr. Sharon Duff (Hamilton and Niagara)
Dr. Ana Hategan (Hamilton)
Dr. David Lam (Halton & Brant)
Dr. Mariam Aziz (Halton)
Dr. Dianne Lezon-Giacomelli (North West Mississauga)
Dr. Jonathon Crowson (Niagara)
Dr. Andrew Hackett (Niagara)
Dr. Anne Braun (Niagara)
Consulting Neuropsychologist
Dr. Christina Gojmerac
Your local team is also made up of a diverse and committed group of mental health and addiction professionals (e.g. nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, health providers) and administrative support staff, all with unique, specialized skills and management expertise working to meet the needs of seniors, their families and those who care for them.
Contact
Hamilton and Brant Seniors Mental Health Clinic and Outreach Services
100 West 5th Street (corner of West 5th and Fennell)
Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3K7
Telephone: 905-522-1155 ext. 36396 or Brant, Telephone: 519-752-3636
Fax: 905-381-5613
Niagara Seniors Mental Health Outreach Program
110B Unit 7 Hannover Drive
St. Catharines, Ontario L2R 1C6
Telephone: 905-704-4068
Fax: 905-704-4072
Halton Seniors Mental Health Outreach Program
(Serving Halton and North West Mississauga)
5230 South Service Road
Burlington, Ontario
Telephone: 905-681-8233 or toll free 1-866-429-7677
Fax: 905-681-8628
Referral Process
A senior’s family physician must approve the referral to our program. We work closely with the senior and their primary care physician and any other members of their care team.
The following information is required as part of the referral and helps facilitate the assessment process:
- A valid health card number
- Reason for the referral
- Relevant history
- Recent relevant completed investigations (e.g. diagnostics imaging, bloodwork, urinalysis, head CT, ECG etc.) and any relevant previous consultations (e.g. consult from geriatrician, neurology, psychiatry etc.).
- Expectations (e.g. diagnoses, management, intervention strategies etc.).
Incomplete information will delay the service delivery process.
For those seniors who do not have a family physician please contact Health Care Connect at 1-800-445-1822. Health Care Connect helps Ontarians who are without a family health care provider (family doctor or nurse practitioner) to find one. People without a family health care provider are referred to a family doctor or a nurse practitioner who is accepting new patients in their community. For more information about Health Care Connect:
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/ms/healthcareconnect/public/default.aspx
If you are unsure about a possible referral, please do not hesitate to contact a local SJHH Seniors Mental Health program office and discuss the scenario with our staff.
Hamilton and Brant Seniors Mental Health Clinic and Outreach Program
Community referrals to our Hamilton or Brant based seniors’ mental health programs are received and processed by Connect, St. Joe’s centralized intake service for Mental Health and Addiction outpatient programs. Click here to access the Connect referral form.
Hamilton based LTCHs (Long Term Care Homes) are served by the St Peter’s Centre for Healthy Aging and can be accessed through completion of this referral form.
Brant based LTCHs are served by our SJHH Seniors Mental Health Outreach program and please complete this referral/screening form.
If you have any questions about the Hamilton or Brant based SJHH Seniors Mental Health Outpatient and Outreach Programs please contact our local office at the SJHH West 5th site at 905-522-1155 ext. 36396.
Niagara Seniors Mental Health Outreach Programs (SMHOP) – serving Niagara region community and Niagara based LTCHs
Niagara Seniors Mental Health Outreach Programs (SMHOP) Referral Form
Niagara Seniors Mental Health Outreach Services for Long Term Care Homes Referral Form
Referral forms and supplemental information are to be faxed to our local St Catharine’s office at 905-704-4072. For any further information about the SJHH Seniors Mental Health Outreach Program- Niagara please call 905-704-4068.
Halton Seniors Mental Health Outreach Program (SMHOP) – serving Burlington, Oakville, Milton, Acton and North West Mississauga.
Halton Seniors Mental Health Outreach Program (SMHOP) Referral Form
Halton and Trillium Seniors Mental Health Outreach Program (SMHOP) Referral Form
Burlington Seniors Mental Health Outreach Services for Long Term Care Homes Referral Form
Halton-NW Miss Seniors Mental Health Outreach Services for Long Term Care Homes Referral Form
Either of the above community referral forms can be used. Completed referral form and any supplemental information is to be faxed to our local Burlington office at 905-681-8628. For any further information about our SJHH Seniors Mental Health Outreach program – Halton, please call 905-681-8233 or toll free 1-866-429-7677.
Preparing for Your Visit
For seniors attending our Hamilton based seniors mental health clinic located at the Margaret & Charles Juravinski Centre for Integrated Healthcare (West 5th Campus) please see the client information sheet which outlines:
- What to bring
- Where to park
- What to do if you need to re-schedule your appointment
- Directions to the clinic
Please call our Hamilton office at 905-522-1155 ext. 36396 if you have any questions or concerns.
For seniors referred to our Brant, Niagara or Halton Seniors Mental Health Outreach Programs:
- a staff person will contact you or a designated other first by telephone to discuss whether we are the appropriate service and will complete an information screen.
- Once we know we are a well matched service for each other, an assigned case manager will contact the referred senior and/or a designated other (e.g. family member) to introduce themselves and to book an initial assessment home visit
- The majority of clients will meet with the case manager first and then based on priority and need the client will be assessed together with a consulting geriatric psychiatrist.
Seniors, family members and other care providers are encouraged to contact the local office if you have any questions or concerns:
Brant: 519-752-3636
Niagara: 905-704-4068
Halton: 905-681-8233 or toll free 1-866-429-7677
Maps & Directions
For seniors attending our Hamilton based seniors mental health clinic located at the Margaret & Charles Juravinski Centre for Integrated Healthcare (West 5th Campus) we are located at:
100 West 5th Street (corner of West 5th and Fennell)
Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3K7
Please take the first right once you enter the hospital campus and park in either P1 or P2. Enter the building on Level 0 through the Outpatient Entrance and the Seniors Mental Health Clinic is located on Level 1. Either take the elevator or the steps directly in front. The clinic is located directly at the top of the steps and across from the elevators. There is a blue sign overhead of the doorway. Please come into the clinic – our registration area is painted orange.
Please check in with receptionist or have a seat and someone will be with you shortly.
For seniors attending our Niagara based program we are located at 26 Hiscott Street, St. Catharine’s, near the QEW and Ontario Street. Please call our office if you need more assistance: 905-704-4068.
For seniors attending our Halton based program we are located at 5230 South Service Road in Burlington (off the QEW, between Appleby and Burloak). We are located at the north east corner of the of the office complex facing the QEW.
Please call our office if you need more assistance: 905-681-8233.
We ask that you do not bring any valuables with you as the hospital cannot be responsible for lost or stolen personal items.
For information about Seniors Mental Health Groups click here