Did You Serve in the Military?

Sometimes we need some extra help to figure out how to handle life’s problems.

PEARLS—the Program to Encourage Active, Rewarding Lives—is a home- and community-based program to help older adults who have minor depression. The program grew out of a five-year research project conducted by the University of Washington’s Health Promotion Research Center, which showed that home-based depression management counseling can significantly reduce depression symptoms and improve health status in chronically medically ill older adults with minor depression.

Aging and Disability Services—the Area Agency on Aging for Seattle-King County—was instrumental in testing the PEARLS program among long-term care case management clients and also in extending the program to support veterans, military spouses, and spouse survivors who are age 55 or older. PEARLS counseling supplements—without competing with—other services for veterans.

Past issues of AgeWise King County have highlighted this successful program:

• Veterans Benefits and Support Services Can Change Your Life
  (November 2014)
• King County Veterans and Human Services Levy Makes a Difference
  (November 2014)
• Wakeup Call Led to Rewarding Work with Veterans
  (November 2015)

Two short videos, linked to the images below, share personal accounts of the value of the PEARLS for Veterans program.Paul Snow, formerly with Aging and Disability Services, describes his experience as a veteran with minor depression, and the value of PEARLS counseling, in this digital story.