Geriatric Behavioral and Mental Health Care

The Rush Approach to Geriatric Behavioral and Mental Health

The changes that sometimes come with aging — illness, loss, evolving relationships — can take a toll on your mental health. For some people, mental health disorders from earlier in life might get worse or return. For others, new mental health conditions might appear.

We can help. Every year, we work with hundreds of people 65 and older to improve their mental health and their daily lives. In addition to treating depression, anxiety and other conditions, we can help you manage chronic illness or adjust to disability.

Our team includes the following:

• Geriatric psychiatrists, who can prescribe medications, perform medical procedures and offer psychotherapy
• Geriatric psychologists, who can provide psychotherapy and other services
• Social workers, who can connect you to community resources

When you call to make an appointment, we'll help you figure out which member of our team you should see. You'll leave your first appointment with a plan for easing your distress and improving your quality of life.

Rush Excellence in Geriatric Behavioral and Mental Health

• Experts in dealing with complexity: We specialize in helping people deal with many things at once. We understand that a chronic condition can make it hard to exercise, which can worsen your mental health. And worsening mental health can, in turn, make it hard to manage a chronic condition. We'll take the time to understand everything you're dealing with and find solutions that fit your life.
• Help adjusting to chronic illness, pain or disability: If you're an older adult experiencing chronic illness, pain, disability or loss, we can help you adjust. At Rush, psychologists who specialize in health, rehabilitation and aging are available to assess your problem and recommend a treatment approach.
• Treatments tailored to your needs: We offer a full range of treatments, including medications, many types of cognitive-behavioral therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and more. We'll work closely with you to find the treatments that work best for your condition.
• Support and respect for caregivers: If you're a caregiver, we'll always seek your input on your loved one's treatment. We can also offer strategies to make caregiving less stressful and connect you to caregiving resources at Rush and beyond.
• A health system focused on older patients: Rush is the only health system in Illinois to participate in the national Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative. The program aims to ensure that the needs and desires of older patients and their families are a top priority.