Optimal Well-Being for Senior Adults I - Reproducible Activity Handouts Promoting Healthy Life Skills

Optimal Well-Being for Senior Adults I is the first in a series of workbooks consisting of reproducible activity handouts written for mental health professionals to provide guidance and content as they work with the changing mental health and aging needs of senior adults. The activities in the workbook are clear, easy-to-follow handouts that cover a wide range of senior adult mental health and life skills issues.

The activities, exercises and, handouts in this workbook are perfect for those working on mental health issues with the older senior adult population in a variety of settings:

Health care settings

Assisted living facilities

Retirement communities

Churches

Rehabilitation facilities

Community continuing education classes

University programs for seniors

The reproducible handouts can be individualized to meet the specific needs of the participants. Creativity is encouraged by both the leader and participants in an ongoing process to generate satisfying and meaningful sessions. The use of artwork, graphics, and other design elements offers interest and variety to enhance focus and attention to the topic at hand.

To aid the facilitator, each handout has a Leader s Guide written for the facilitator. The Leader s Guides include the following:

Purpose (identify the skill the participant will be learning)

Background Information (can be used as a brief introduction for the session)

Activity (provides a step-by-step outline for how to lead a session)

Variations (describes at least one variation from the outlined activity)

Each of the ten chapters has five handouts with three levels of understanding. This format encourages the facilitator to choose which level is most appropriate for the specific individuals to be served to avoid frustration of both the facilitator and group members.

The workbook is divided into ten topics which include:

Topic I Anxiety and Stress

Topic II Coping

Topic III Emotion Expression

Topic IV Grief and Loss

Topic V Life Balance

Topic VI Reminiscence

Topic VII Self-Awareness

Topic VIII Social Skills

Topic IX Staying Young at Heart

Topic X Thinking Skills

Ester R.A. Leutenberg has worked in the mental health field for many years as a co-author and as an advocate to erase the stigma of mental illness, and for those suffering from loss. She is the co-author of three editions of GriefWork, Creating a Healthy Balanced Life, Motivation, Breaking Up Is Hard to Do, Life Skills to Help Teens Balance Way Too Much, The Complete Caregiver Support Guide, and Veterans Surviving and Thriving. She is also the co-author of the following series: Adult and Teen Mental Health and Life Skills, Coping, Mind-Body Wellness, Erasing the Stigma of Mental Health Issues through Awareness, and Working with Families over 70 books published by Whole Person as well as 14 books published by Wellness Reproductions and Publishing.

Kathy A. Khalsa, CPC, OTR/L, has been an occupational therapist for over 30 years. The appeal of being an OT were the key phrases purposeful activity, fostering new and creative strategies for meaningful, productive lives across the lifespan, and most importantly, a focus on the question What matters to you? opposed to What is the matter with you? Kathy is the clinical coordinator of a senior behavioral health unit in a northwest Tucson hospital and has expanded her professional life as a life coach and Reiki practitioner. Kathy has presented at national and local conferences and has co-authored 15 books with Wellness Reproductions and Publishing for mental health therapists to use with their clients.