In-Home Counseling Available for DuPage Seniors

Seniors 60 and over living in southeast DuPage County will have a chance to kick the blues with some help from Metropolitan Family Services DuPage’s new in-home counseling program, called PEARLS. PEARLS, which stands for Program to Encourage Active Rewarding Lives, teaches seniors important skills for managing unpleasant feelings and improving their quality of life.

According to Medicine Net, approximately 6 million seniors 65 and over suffer from depression. Depression, even minor depression, interferes with how well we function, how active we are and how we interact with others. The loss of loved ones, independence, physical health and social isolation can cause many seniors to retreat. But while many loved ones will consider this a normal part of getting older, according to experts depression is not normal at any age. The PEARLS counseling model helps seniors take charge of improving their emotional health through proven strategies demonstrated to reduce the symptoms of depression.

Program Features:

• Eight in-person sessions provided over a five-month period which include problem-solving exercises as well as physical, social and pleasant activity scheduling (primarily offered to homebound seniors but can also be provided in-office)
• Three – four monthly phone call follow-up sessions
• Licensed, master-level clinical social workers with an average of 14 years experience counseling older adults

PEARLS was developed and researched at the University of Washington and has been demonstrating good outcomes for participants for more than 10 years. It is offered in partnership with the Community House of Hinsdale and made possible through the Community Memorial Foundation, United Way and the Northeastern Illinois Area Agency on Aging. For more Information on PEARLS, contact Julie Midgley at Metropolitan Family Services DuPage at 630-784-4842.

About Metropolitan Family Services
Since 1930, Metropolitan Family Services DuPage has helped families restore balance in their lives and achieve economic stability; provided youth mentoring; counseled parents, children and seniors; and provided respite to family caregivers. Metropolitan DuPage is part of Metropolitan Family Services, one of the first and largest human services agencies in the Chicago area, reaching approximately 45,000 individuals and families in Chicago and the suburbs with programs and services that help families realize their potential and lead healthy, productive lives.