Wood County Committee on Aging is preparing to screen the 375 people receiving its home-delivered meals
for symptoms of depression.
It’s the beginning step toward helping those who are struggling with depression learn how to manage it.

The focus on meal program clients is because they are traditionally underserved people living in isolated
locations, said Lisa Myers, director of social services for the committee on aging.
Laura Belleville, home-delivered meal client assessor, will ask each of those receiving meals two
questions. If they answer yes to one or both of them they will be recontacted by Myers or others in the
social services department for additional screening to determine the severity of their depression.
If the second screening identifies a need, Myers said, the person will be linked with mental health
providers and receive education about dealing with depression.
Myers said the screening is entirely optional on the part of the older adults.
She, Belleville and a dozen other local social service agency personnel received training for two days
this week in Healthy IDEAS (Identifying Depression, Empowering Activities for Seniors), a low-cost,
practical way for addressing depression among older people. The training was funded by a grant the
committee on aging received from the Toledo Community Foundation.
Esther Steinberg, a national Healthy IDEAS trainer from Texas, conducted the training at the Wood County
Senior Center.
The program’s "goal is to help older adults manage their depression by engaging in any pleasurable
activity," Steinberg said. Any activity that "brings joy into their day is going to help them
feel better."
Healthy IDEAS is now operating in 19 states.
"One of the beauties of the Wood County program," Steinberg said, "is that it looks at
people who are the most vulnerable" due to their isolation.
Many older adults, she added, "don’t want to talk to strangers" about something like
depression. "There’s still a stigma about having such a problem," even though it’s very common
among older adults. She said depression affects 20 to 30 percent of the older adults across the country.

"There is effective treatment for depression, so why suffer from something that’s treatable?"

Among the professionals receiving the training this week were staff of Wood County Job and Family
Services and Behavioral Connections of Wood County. Also being trained was Stacey Frohnapfel-Hasson,
director of communication and outreach for the Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities,
who plans to initiate similar training in the central Ohio area.
After the 375 people have been screened, the committee on aging will continue to offer the Healthy IDEAS
screening as new clients begin to receive meals. Denise Niese, executive director of the committee on
aging, said that 120 to 130 of the people served are new to the program each year as client needs
change.
Children of older adults who feel their parents are struggling with depression may contact Myers or her
social services staff by calling (419) 353-5661 or (800) 367-4935.