Entertainment

'There's still a purpose for you': As suicides among seniors rise, Hays-Caldwell coalition offers training and support

Need someone to talk to?

If you or someone you know needs to talk to someone or is struggling with thoughts of suicide, reach out to the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting 9-8-8 at any time. Counselors will provide free, confidential support 24/7/365.

KYLE, Texas (KXAN) — Around a table, inside a Kyle senior living facility, a small group of people talked about ways to tackle a growing and heartbreaking problem: suicide.

At their first meeting of the year, people involved with the Hays-Caldwell Suicide Prevention Coalition discussed new data, as well as potential resources and supports.

While the group’s hope is to reach people from all walks of life, their chosen meeting place — The Philomena Assisted Living and Memory Care — holds significance of its own. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), older age groups are experiencing higher rates of suicide. In 2022, people ages 85 and older had the highest rate of the age groups represented in the data, followed by the group of people ages 75 to 84.

The data also shows a rise in suicides among older adults, compared to other age groups. The CDC tracked an 8% increase among people ages 65 and older in 2022.

“It’s something that a lot of people don’t think about for this age group,” said Priscilla Duran, Executive Director at the Philomena.

Jewel Jankas, the facility’s Community Relations Director, said it’s part of the reason she helped found the coalition. While she was working in a different assisted living facility in Lockhart, she remembers a resident telling her that she was “ready to move on.” Jankas tried to find resources for this resident, but said those supports were difficult to find in Caldwell County.

“Everybody’s story is different and very impactful, and sometimes just hearing somebody going through similar struggles is everything,” she said.

Jankas eventually connected with Dr. Kenneth Elliot, who had the same vision of starting a coalition. As a mental health professional and the former Director of Mental Health at Lockhart Independent School District, Elliot said signs and symptoms may be different for the older population than for younger people.

“To be honest, there’s a lot of licensed mental health professionals who may be very good with youth or family, but they’re not experienced with geriatric issues,” he said.

Elliot believes suicide prevention is a community effort, which is why the group offers training in prevention, recognition and intervention techniques for “lay people” — such as staff in senior living facilities, places of worship, community groups or businesses.

“It really does take a village. We can’t just rely on police or law enforcement to recognize those signs. We can’t just rely on licensed mental health professionals. Sometimes they’re not available or their waiting lists are too long,” he said.

Caldwell County is one of 246 Texas counties designated as an area lacking mental health professionals, or a mental health “desert,” according to state data from the Health Professions Resource Center. Some parts of the state may only have one or even no mental health professionals, it notes.

Elliot noted that no matter someone’s age, there are sometimes “subtle” messages that someone may be having thoughts of suicide.

“We do this in our trainings: always ask. Ask the question,” he said. “It’s important to follow up and make sure, if the answer is ‘yes,’ that you provide that person support, connection, connectedness.”

At the Philomena, Duran said she tries to ask residents about dreams of goals they have yet to accomplish.

“What big bucket things do they still have on their list? Let’s start making plans for that. I think it’s very important that everybody has a plan and a purpose and something that they’re looking forward to,” she said. “If you have breath in your lungs, there’s still a purpose for you in this world. And it’s our job here in senior living to help them see that.”

Jankas said the group will continue to meet monthly to make an impact.

“Because there’s so much more than today — there’s tomorrow. There’s hope. There is more.”

The community can attend an upcoming meeting of the Hays-Caldwell Suicide Prevention Coalition at the Philomena, located at 350 Philomena Drive in Kyle. The group meets on the last Wednesday of every month. Its upcoming meetings include: