Initiatives, MHAN Looks to the Future
by
 Anita Rosen |
This is a transition issue of Dimensions in many ways. First, this is my farewell column as we welcome the new chair of MHAN, longtime member and immediate-past chair of the MHAN editorial board Share DeCroix Bane. As chair of the Leadership Council, I enjoyed serving MHAN and ASA -- and I intend to remain actively involved in both for the foreseeable future. My special thanks to the MHAN Leadership Council for making my job so easy. It has been a pleasure to work with so many of you. I am sure that with your continued support, Share will be able to help further MHAN’s growth and our ability to provide the information and skills that are vital to mental health practitioners who work with older adults.
The second transition is the inaugural electronic issue of Dimensions that you are currently reading. Special thanks to Jill Bader, chair of the MHAN editorial board, for carrying this new format to fruition -- and thanks, as well, to the ASA staff and especially staff editor Gerard Koskovich. With the addition of links, online resources and other new features, this issue on the role of mental health professionals in addressing elder abuse is another example of cutting-edge and practical information MHAN provides. Jill, Share and I look forward to hearing your comments about reading and using the new Dimensions.
Another transition: The MHAN Leadership Council has completed a major revision of its governance and hopes to use the new structure -- including the addition of a policy component -- to engage many more of you as leaders in the work of MHAN. Our network is the second largest constituent group in ASA and has the highest number of newly joining members of any of the groups. The Leadership Council is continually looking for new ways to keep MHAN membership and programming dynamic.
Perspectives on the ASA Conference
The ASA-NCOA Joint Conference held in Chicago in early March also provided a transition, as it offered us a chance to honor Gloria Cavanaugh, recently retired president and CEO of ASA, for her long and invaluable service to ASA and to MHAN. In addition, many of us had a chance to meet ASA’s new president and CEO, Bob Stein, who comes to the society with a record of dynamic leadership in the world of membership associations. We look forward to working with Bob to maintain MHAN’s vital role in ASA.
The conference also provided a very lively program combining the latest practice, research and policy information. Special thanks goes to Judy Shultz, Tobi Abramson and Share Bane, the members of the Behavioral Health Care/Mental Health program committee, who brought together an outstanding track of sessions. Well-attended sessions also were presented in the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias track sessions, thanks to the fine work of program committee members Michelle Barclay, Debra Cherry, Bill Keane, Katie Maslow and Steve Zarit.
In response to great interest from the practice community, MHAN also organized three special programs at the conference. We are grateful for the exceptional efforts of the committees responsible for the programs:
- “Managing Challenging Behaviors: A Clinical Perspective” was organized by Patrick Arbore, Fred Blow, Debra Cherry, Erlene Rosowsky and Judy Shultz.
- “Mental Health and Aging Coalitions: Effective Approaches and Innovative Practices” came together thanks to the efforts of Willard Mays, Alixe McNeill and Deborah Digilio.
- “Evidence-Based Treatment and Interventions for Late-Life Mental Health Disorders” resulted from the efforts of Steve Bartels, Fred Blow, Erlene Rosowsky and Steve Zarit.
If you missed the conference -- or if you attended and would like a recap of favorite presentations -- recordings of a number of sessions of interest to MHAN members are now available for purchase. See the sidebar for details. And be sure to mark your calendar now for next year’s gathering, which will be called the NCOA-ASA Aging in America Conference. It’s set for March 27-30 in Washington, D.C.
Send Us Your Thoughts
My good wishes to Share Bane as the new chair of MHAN. Let Share and the Leadership Council know how best we can help you grow professionally and become more involved in MHAN -- and how we can continue to develop Dimensions and the MHAN conference programming to meet your needs. You’ll find contact information for Share and the other members of the Leadership Council in the online ASA membership directory.
MHAN Leadership Council chair Anita Rosen is senior projects adviser for the Council on Social Work Education, Silver Spring, Md. Contact her at anitarosen@comcast.net.
Copyright © 2007 American Society on Aging; all rights reserved. This article may not be duplicated or distributed in any form without written permission from the publisher: American Society on Aging, 71 Stevenson St., Suite 1450, San Francisco, CA 94105-2938; e-mail: permissions@asaging.org.
