Structuring Mental Health Within Senior Services: A Case Study of an Outpatient Mental Health Clinic Serving Latinos

• Published in: Journal of gerontological social work Vol. 55; no. 6; pp. 503 - 518
• Main Author: Ortiz, Daniel Vélez
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis Group 01.08.2012; Taylor & Francis LLC
• Subjects: Administrative Personnel; Adult; Aged; Ambulatory Care - organization & administration; Attitude of Health Personnel - ethnology; Clinics; Communication Barriers; Communities; Community based clinics; Community Mental Health Services - organization & administration; Content analysis; cultural competence; Cultural Competency - psychology; Cultural Diversity; Cultural Pluralism; Culture; Elderly; Emigrants and Immigrants - psychology; Environmental Factors; Health Services Accessibility - standards; Health Status Disparities; Hispanic Americans; Humans; Immigrants; Latin American people; Latino older adults; Male; Mental Disorders - ethnology; Mental Disorders - psychology; Mental Health; Mental Health - ethnology; Mental Health - standards; Mental Health Services; Multiculturalism & pluralism; Older people; Outpatient clinics; Social Work; Sociocultural Factors; United States - ethnology; United States
• ISSN: 0163-4372; 1540-4048
• DOI: 10.1080/01634372.2012.673539

The article presents a case study of an outpatient mental health clinic serving Latino older adults. The study explored staff perceptions on the clinic development and the context within an immigrant multicultural community. The study used in-depth, semistructured interviews with support staff, clinical social workers, and administrators. Interviews were analyzed using a thematic content analysis. The mental health clinic formation was perceived by staff as an ecological process stemming from the needs of the Latino immigrant senior clients. A close knit and interdependent culture allowed the clinic to adjust to diversity and changing cultural contexts.