Why DAPS?

Minnesota’s senior population is expected to double by 2030. Depression is frequently under‑diagnosed and under‑treated in older adults. Late life depression is associated with bias, stigma, lower quality of life, poor medical outcomes and increased risk for suicide. When seniors are screened and offered appropriate services, most seniors recover from depression.

What DAPS can do:

DAPS integrates depression awareness and management into existing case management services offered to seniors by the partner organizations. The program extends over 3-6 months and is conducted in-person and by telephone.

The goal of DAPS is to improve the quality of life of older adults by:

Screening for symptoms of depression with a two question screening protocol and the Geriatric Depression Screening (GDS) survey.
Educating older adults, their families and caregivers about depression.
Bringing meaningful activity into older adults’ lives through a behavioral activation program.
Enhancing communication with primary care providers.
Referring older adults (as appropriate) to mental health resources.
Empowering older adults to improve their self management of their mental health.

Case management services are provided by:

Highland Block Nurse Program
Jewish Family Service of St. Paul
The Consortium at Carondelet Village
West Seventh Community Center – Senior Services

Additional program offerings include:

Educational seminars for participants, caregivers and the general community through the National Alliance on Mental Illness – Minnesota (NAMI).
Creative arts organizations collaborate with DAPS to offer specialized programs to help improve participants’ moods.
Ramsey County Human Services provides resource information.