Older Adult Mental Health Treatment Services
McLean offers world-class diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care for individuals ages 50 and older who are experiencing emotional, cognitive, or behavioral symptoms. Call us today to find the care that’s right for you or a loved one.
McLean’s Older Adult Mental Health Treatment Services provide world-class care for adults ages 50 and older who are struggling with depression, anxiety, neurocognitive disorders, and related symptoms and conditions.
Inpatient treatment options provide short-term stabilization for patients who are experiencing emotional, cognitive, or behavioral symptoms. Our array of outpatient programs offer individual and group therapy for patients who do not require hospitalization.
These insurance-based treatment programs will help you or a loved one continue to lead a healthy and full life.
We will work with you to determine which option is best for you. For more information, please call 617.855.3141 (inpatient) or 617.855.3267 (outpatient).
In His Own Words
Watch this video to learn more about Bob and his mental health journey with Alzheimer’s disease and other diagnoses
Treatment Approach
Our multidisciplinary team of expert clinicians and support staff have chosen geriatrics as their specialty and pride themselves on providing compassionate and efficient care.
The main components of care include diagnostic assessment, solution-focused treatment, individual and group therapy, behavioral strategies, medication evaluation and management, and aftercare planning.
Each patient undergoes a thorough assessment to create an individualized treatment plan. The care team supports patients toward stabilization and tailored treatment goals.
We work together to collaborate with patients and families to provide world-renowned mental health treatment.
“You have left me with a renewed faith in a mental health system that employs individuals that truly care.” – A former patient
Inpatient Services
Inpatient care supports individuals with symptoms such as memory loss, mood disturbances, anxiety, difficulty coping with losses and transitions, or behavioral conditions that interfere with care at home or in a long-term care setting. The average length of stay in our inpatient settings is between 7 and 14 days.
The Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Program offers specialty care for dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive impairments. This inpatient program is best suited to individuals with cognitive impairment and co-occurring diagnoses such as depression and anxiety.
We understand that along with cognitive changes, many individuals experience additional symptoms or behavioral disturbances such as agitation. Staff have special expertise in treating Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
Treatment for cognitive impairments focuses on rapidly stabilizing patients. Care integrates behavioral interventions, medication consultation, and group therapy. This approach is personalized to each patient to maximize cognitive and emotional functioning and enhance quality of life.
The Older Adult Program serves the general psychiatric needs of geriatric patients. This program provides treatment for patients with a wide variety of conditions, including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and thought disorders. We also treat individuals coping with loss, bereavement, and changes in functioning. Families are closely involved and participate during the hospitalization.
Behavioral and mental health treatment is tailored to meet the needs of each patient with the goal of providing diagnostic clarification, symptom relief, patient and family education, development of an aftercare plan, and strategies to improve day-to-day life.
Care and Compassion Throughout the Lifespan
Let us show you why McLean is considered a life changer for individuals who are struggling with mental health difficulties as they age.
Outpatient Services
The goal of our outpatient services is to provide patients with a tailored, state-of-the-art treatment plan that will allow the individual to address symptoms while remaining independent at home or in the community.
Older Adult Clinic
The Older Adult Clinic provides full evaluation and treatment, including medication consultation, to older adults who struggle with an array of mental health conditions but do not require hospitalization. We also offer support groups for caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease/dementia.
Diagnostic evaluation, psychotherapy, and medication evaluation and management are available to help patients cope with problems such as depression, anxiety, substance misuse, or difficulty with managing losses and transitions.
Memory Disorders Assessment Clinic
The Memory Disorders Assessment Clinic specializes in the evaluation, treatment, and follow-up of outpatients who have mild-to-moderate memory impairments. This option is ideal for people who are 60 years old and above with concerns about their memory, thinking skills, or other cognitive difficulties and disorders.
The clinic provides baseline assessments, clear feedback, and practical recommendations. We focus on supporting function and managing any reversible or treatable factors. In addition, clinical research trials through McLean’s Division of Geriatric Psychiatry may offer patients options that are not otherwise accessible.
During two to three half-day sessions, patients receive thorough psychiatric, neuropsychological, psychosocial, and neurological evaluations. Diagnostic and treatment recommendations are discussed with the patient, care providers, and family members as appropriate.
Our treatment team is invested in educating and supporting patients and family members. We can also collaborate with the patient’s existing primary care physicians to promote carryover of clinical information.
GATES
GATES: Group-Based Acute Treatment Engagement for Seniors is an outpatient program for older adults with major depression, anxiety disorders, and adjustment disorders who do not have significant cognitive impairment.
Groups incorporate elements of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) along with coping skills, goal setting, mindfulness, and supportive therapy.
GATES is ideal as a step-down from inpatient care or for those who need intensive outpatient treatment. Patients must have an existing prescriber (psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner). Group sessions are held online for one hour twice per week. This is a short-term program, with engagement intended twice weekly for 6-8-weeks.
Short-Term Group Therapy
A suite of short-term (8-12 week) CBT groups are offered on a rotating basis throughout the year. These groups focus on skill building, collaborative goal setting, and patient education for a variety of mental health disorders in the elderly, including depression, anxiety, emotional regulation, hoarding, and more.
Groups are held online each week for one hour.
Long-Term Group Therapy
These longer-term group therapy options focus on support, interpersonal relationships, loneliness, and purpose in late life. More specific CBT skills groups for coping with aging, depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders are also offered.
These groups are available only to participants from the short-term groups listed above, as step-down option, or for ongoing care.
Groups are held online each week for one hour.
Dementia Caregiver Support
This program provides group therapy to promote resilience in caregivers who are caring for a spouse or a parent with dementia. There are separate groups for spouses and for adult children.
The groups incorporate elements of disease education, problem-solving therapy, grief therapy, positive psychology, emotion regulation, and behavioral activation. Prior to joining a group, caregivers will have an initial individual assessment with a clinician.
Therapy is insurance-based. Groups are held online each week for one hour and run for 10 weeks. Start dates occur throughout the year on a recurring basis.
Research
Research into causes, cures, and symptom reduction is a crucial aspect of older adult care. Our programs utilize care models and treatments based on clinical and neuroscience research, including cutting-edge studies conducted by investigators at McLean.
Our research is exploring ways to slow down disease progression of Alzheimer’s disease, potential treatments for behavioral complications of Alzheimer’s dementia (such as agitation, anxiety, sleep disorders, and mood disturbance), as well as aspects of depression and bipolar disorder, memory loss, and more.
Patients may be asked to join in our studies as research subjects. Study participation is voluntary, and declining does not affect access to care.
Admission
The Older Adult Mental Health Treatment Services are ideal for senior adults seeking care for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, mild to moderate memory impairments, and adjustment disorders. Referrals may be made by patients, their families, physicians, or other health care providers.
For further information about our program or to make a referral, please contact our admissions staff:
Inpatient Services
Phone: 617.855.3141
Older Adult Clinic or Memory Disorders Assessment Clinic
Phone: 617.855.3267
GATES or Group Therapy
Phone: 617.855.2327
Note: Patients are responsible for arranging their own transportation to and from the program.
Dementia Caregiver Support
Phone: 617.855.3183
Cost
Medicare covers most treatment costs. Other insurance, including Massachusetts Medicaid, is accepted. Supplemental insurance usually covers the remaining cost. Hospital staff will assist patients and their families in determining coverage.
More information on insurance providers accepted by McLean Hospital may be found on the Mass General Brigham website. You may also find it beneficial to review McLean’s patient billing and financial assistance information.
Program Leadership
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the Older Adult Mental Health Treatment Services located?
We are located on the Belmont campus in the South Belknap building.
Some of our outpatient services are virtual only.
For more information on directions, parking, and local accommodations, please visit our Maps & Directions page.
Who benefits most from Older Adult Mental Health Treatment Services?
Our programs provide evaluation and treatment services for a wide variety of emotional, behavioral, and cognitive symptoms that affect senior adults.
Inpatient Care
The Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Program offers specialty care for dementia including Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive impairments and is best suited to individuals with cognitive impairment and co-occurring diagnoses such as depression and anxiety.
The Older Adult Program provides treatment for patients with a wide variety of conditions including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and thought disorders. We also treat individuals coping with loss, bereavement, and changes in functioning.
Outpatient Care
The Memory Disorders Assessment Clinic focuses on individuals with subjective memory impairment, mild neurocognitive disorder (MCI), major neurocognitive disorder (dementia), and late-life attention deficit disorder.
For older adults with mood and anxiety disorders who need a more intensive outpatient experience, the GATES: Group-Based Acute Treatment Engagement for Seniors offers a short-term experience that includes frequent individual and group sessions.
The Older Adult Clinic evaluates and treats older adults with an array of psychiatric diagnoses, including mood, anxiety, and neurocognitive disorders. We also provide consultation to community-based psychiatrists seeking assistance in treating those who have failed to respond to medications.
Is family involved in treatment?
Family involvement in treatment is at the discretion of the individual or his/her authorized health care representative. We often include family members or other caregivers in our evaluation and treatment process.
What is the length of stay at the inpatient programs? What happens at discharge?
Patient stays at inpatient programs range from 7 to 14 days, about two weeks on average. Inpatient stays are brief and focus on acute stabilization and management of crises and mental health symptoms.
Aftercare planning begins immediately upon admission.
Are visitors permitted at the inpatient programs?
Visitors are permitted, following program policies. Visiting hours are 2-8pm, seven days a week.
Please speak to the patient’s treatment team for more information. Additional details can be found on the Visitors page.
Is smoking permitted?
Inpatient Care
As smoking is a major public health risk as well as a fire hazard on the unit, the programs are smoke-free environments. Cigarettes, lighters, matches, and e-cigarettes are not permitted.
Nicorette gum and nicotine patches are an option, as well as tobacco cessation counseling and support.
Outpatient Care
Smoking is allowed in designated outdoor areas only. No smoking is allowed inside any of our buildings.
Are cell phones allowed?
To respect the privacy of all patients, photographic equipment or recording devices of any kind are not allowed.
Inpatient Care
Cell phones, tablets, laptops, and other devices are permitted, with some guidelines to prevent disruption of the program and other patients, but charging cords are not allowed. Device chargers are kept in the nurses station for charging as needed. Wireless headphones with Bluetooth capability are allowed, but no wired headphones of any kind are permitted.
Outpatient Care
Cell phone use is strongly discouraged during treatment and in the waiting room to prevent disruption of the program and others.
Is there access to a phone during inpatient care?
The Older Adult Program nurses station can be reached at 617.855.2312 and the Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Program nurses station at 617.855.2551.
The patient phone number is 617.855.2641. All outgoing calls from McLean must be placed to unblocked lines. Family members should give the treatment team an unblocked contact number.
What are the general policies of the inpatient programs?
Important Information
Patient identification wristbands must be worn at all times to ensure correct identification and administration of all medications.
Unit Safety
To ensure patient safety, the following items are not allowed on the unit: alcoholic beverages, drugs/medications, plastic bags, knives/other sharp objects, matches/lighters, glass bottles, mirrors, and glass picture frames.
Checks
To assure patient safety, units have a check system. Checks consist of a staff person walking through the unit to see each patient. This occurs every five minutes or 15 minutes, depending on physician’s orders.
Patients can expect the staff to come into their room to see them frequently, even during the night. If patients are in the bathroom, they are asked to say their name when the staff person knocks.
Unit Permissions
There are three levels of privileges, and each patient’s level is determined after assessment by the treatment team:
- Level 1: Hall restrict
- Level 2: May leave the unit with a staff member
- Level 3: May leave the unit with a family member
Passes may be written for occasions not covered under the privilege system, such as going out with a friend or to an appointment off hospital grounds.
Treatment Team
During the admissions process, each patient is assigned a treatment team that oversees their care during the hospital stay. The team is made up of a group of nurses and a psychiatrist, social worker, internist, nutritionist, and mental health specialist.
Additional members of the team may include clinicians from neurology, neuropsychology, physical therapy, ECT, physiatry, and/or activity therapy.
All patients are seen seven days a week by a group of nurses, group therapists, mental health specialists, and a psychiatrist. Patients are seen by social workers each day during the weekdays.
McLean is a teaching facility affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. We often have students, interns, and fellows who may work with patients and their families. The trainees work closely with a supervisor to ensure excellent care.
Group Therapy
Group therapy is a large component of treatment. Patients are invited to participate in any groups offered on the unit, including art therapy, exercise, cognitive games, sensory activities, and discussion groups.
There is a mix of therapy, education, and leisure groups offered each day, led by skilled clinicians of varying backgrounds.
Possessions
Patients may bring in personal items or food from home to make the stay more comfortable. Items that are sharp (e.g., razors), made of glass (including mirrors), or have cords (including a computer mouse, headphones, chargers) are stored at the nurses station. Staff may monitor shaving and the use of sharp objects.
Patients are welcome to keep up to three different sets of clothing on the unit, pictures in non-breakable frames, and other items that patients find comforting or soothing.
Please do not bring items with high monetary or emotional value to the unit. For Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Program patients, items, such as rings, watches, wallets, and the like, are sent to Security until patients are discharged. There is no such accommodation at the Older Adult Program.
Older Adult Program patients are allowed to keep clothing, glasses, hearing aids, dentures, and other miscellaneous items in their room.
At the Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Program, this is not allowed because many of our confused patients wander about the unit, rummaging or collecting items from other patients’ rooms at random. Items left in patient rooms are often lost or at least temporarily misplaced.
Patient Rooms
Rooms are assigned based on clinical need. Patients may be asked to change rooms based on the needs of the unit.
To promote healthy sleeping patterns, patients are encouraged to be in their rooms between the hours of 11pm and 7am.
Meals
Meals are served in the dining room. Breakfast is at 9am. Lunch is at 12pm. Dinner is at 5pm. Patients are assisted by dietary staff and mental health specialists during meals.
Patients who find the dining room area too noisy or overly stimulating are often seated elsewhere on the unit, in either the conference room or the day room.
Food
We encourage family members to bring favorite foods to the unit when they visit. Leftovers or food brought to hand out over a course of a few days are labeled and stored in our dining room area. Please do not leave food in patient rooms for a long time.
Medications
Medications are usually administered at 9am, 1pm, 5pm, and 9pm.
Prescription or over-the-counter medications from home are sent to the pharmacy to be stored until discharge.
Laundry
Patients should bring three comfortable, washable, preshrunk sets of clothing, as all clothing is washed in hot water.
A washing machine, laundry detergent, and a dryer are on the unit for patient use, free of charge.
More Information
Unit staff are available to answer additional questions. More information may also be found in McLean’s patient guides, including Guide to Arriving at McLean Hospital. Paper copies are available upon request.
Patients may also find this video about our admission process a helpful way to understand how it works. Watch now.
Can former patients access their medical records?
All requests for medical records should be directed to McLean’s Health Information Management Department.
Are support groups offered?
To complement our programs’ services and encourage individuals’ initiatives in their own treatment course, many self-help groups are hosted by McLean.
We Are Here To Help
Call us today to learn more about older adult outpatient mental health care at McLean.
