PEARLS: Coaching for older adults with depression

Many older people living in the United States are in the grips of a mental health crisis, their struggles compounded by loneliness, isolation, and grief in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. One in four people over age 65 experiences anxiety or depression, yet many never receive treatment—and still more go undiagnosed.

For more than 20 years, the Program to Encourage Active, Rewarding Lives (PEARLS) has been bringing one-on-one, skill-based intervention for depression administered by trained coaches to older people, in their own homes or communities. This event will examine how PEARLS works to address the needs of this often overlooked and uniquely vulnerable group.

SPEAKERS

Joel Hernandez, PEARLS counselor
Baltazar Molina, PEARLS client
Mercedes Molina, PEARLS client
Sherry Wu, PEARLS research coordinator, University of Washington Health Promotion Research Center

MODERATOR

Michael Fitzgerald, editor-in-chief, Harvard Public Health

Read Jennifer Lopez's op-ed

Opinion

Giving caregivers the tools to cope

The PEARLS program tackles seniors’ burnout with problem-solving.

Public Health in Action:
Mental health innovations

This event is one in a multipart series pairing discussions from The Studio with journalism from Harvard Public Health to examine mental health programs across the U.S. that deliver real results.