Wright Memorial Hospital’s Senior Life Solutions celebrates Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Wright Memorial Hospital’s Senior Life Solutions is helping to build awareness about mental health wellness in our community to help break down the stigma surrounding mental illness.

This year's Mental Health Month theme is Look Around and Look Within to learn about how surroundings can impact mental health. Surroundings such as where a person lives, the safety of their home or neighborhood, and access to good health care and grocery stores are just a few examples of how a person’s environment can impact their mental and physical health.

Where a person is born, lives, learns, works, plays, and gathers, as well as their economic stability and social connections, are part of what is called social determinants of health (SDOH). The more these factors work in a person’s favor, the more likely they will have a positive mental well-being.

“Despite the fact that many aspects of your environment are beyond your control, there are steps you can take to improve your environment and protect your well-being,” said Shelby Todd, RN Program Director of Wright Memorial Hospital’s Senior Life Solutions.

Mental Health America has a few suggestions on how to do just that.

• Work toward securing safe and stable housing: This can be challenging due to finances, age, and other reasons, but there are a few things to try, such as reaching out to state/local agencies to secure housing, removing safety hazards in the home, or finding another comforting space, such as a community center or friend’s home.
• Focus on your home: It is important to keep a tidy, sleep-friendly space that is well-ventilated and includes items that help promote a sense of calm and positivity. 
• Create bonds with the neighborhood and community: Get to know the people living in the immediate area, join or start neighbors-helping-neighbors groups, and support local businesses to challenge gentrification. 
• Connect with nature: Hike in a forest, sit in a city park, bring a plant inside, or keep the shades open to absorb natural light. 

Learn more with Mental Health America’s 2023 Mental Health Month toolkit, which provides free, practical resources, such as how an individual’s environment impacts their mental health, suggestions for making changes to improve and maintain mental well-being, and how to seek help for mental health challenges. Go to www.mhanational.org/may to learn more.

If you’re taking steps to improve your surroundings but are still struggling with your mental health, you may be experiencing signs of a mental health condition. We encourage you to connect with your health care provider or reach out to a member of our team today. 

Wright Memorial Hospital’s Senior Life Solutions is designed to meet the unique needs of individuals, typically 65 and older, experiencing depression and/or anxiety related to life changes that are often associated with aging. Whether through our program or another service, our team works to identify and address the emotional needs of those in our community and provide support. If you or someone you know is struggling with a decline in their mental health, we are here to help. 

For more information or if you or someone you know could benefit from this program, call 660-357-4730 or visit www.saintlukeskc.org/senior.

Wright Memorial Hospital is a member of Saint Luke’s Health System, which consists of 14 area hospitals and several primary and specialty care practices, and provides a range of inpatient, outpatient, and home care services. Founded as a faith-based, not-for-profit organization, our mission includes a commitment to the highest levels of excellence in health care and the advancement of medical research and education. The health system is an aligned organization in which the physicians and hospitals assume responsibility for enhancing the physical, mental, and spiritual health of people in the metropolitan Kansas City area and the surrounding region.