On Oct. 5, the fourth annual Western Montana Geriatric Care and Mental Health Conference spotlights older adult mental health with the theme, “The Upside of Down: Geriatric Depression Recovery.”

The gathering at Flathead Valley Community College features a host of experts in elder mental health care. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. in room 139 of the Arts and Technology Building. The conference opens at 8 a.m. with an introduction by Courtney Rudbach.

Rudbach, clinical supervisor at Pathways Treatment Center, said professionals such as nurses, social workers and therapists may earn 6.5 continuing education credits by attending the conference. She added that anyone interested in aging and mental health would benefit by attending.

Rudbach heads up the Geriatric Care and Mental Health Advisory Council, one of the sponsors and founders of the event. She described the council as a grassroots organization made up of a pharmacist, a psychiatrist, home health and nursing home workers and concerned family members.

For the past four years, the committee has worked to solidify the mental health system in the Flathead Valley to keep older adults in the community with their families and support systems.

“A lot of times, if you become hospitalized for a mental illness and we can’t treat you in the community, we have to send you to Warm Springs, which is not acceptable to this group,” Rudbach said.

“If Mom is 86, and Dad if 85, and you send Mom to Warm Springs for treatment, Dad is not going to be able to visit her. They may not have spent five nights apart for the past 50 years.”

Some examples of the committee’s actions to shore up the mental health system include providing mental health training to CNAs in nursing homes and organizing these annual conferences focused on geriatric mental health. 

“At this conference coming up, we have some of the experts in the field,” Rudbach said. “We have Brooks Baer, one of our local mental health professionals. His job is to go to the ER and evaluate people’s lethality in suicide.”

Baer speaks from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on suicide in the elderly. Judge David Ortley speaks at 1:30 p.m. on “Mental Health and the Courts: A View from the Bench.”

Gary Morrison, a pharmacist, makes a presentation at 10:30 a.m. 

“He is going to talk about drug interactions and, more importantly, interactions when people are taking herbal medications,” Rudbach said. 

Other presentations address caregiver fatigue, the Montana Medicaid Waiver and the Montana State Hospital. A $40 registration fee covers breakfast, lunch and conference materials.

“If it’s a hardship for a family member or caregiver, we do have scholarships available,” Rudbach said.

She said they prefer people register in advance by calling 756-3950.