Community education on mental health in later life: findings from an evaluation of a series of three model programs.

This article describes a series of three community educational programs--The Second Story, The Final Course, and Winter Comforts--designed to increase knowledge about and skills for responding to three common mental health concerns in later life: loss and grief, depression and suicide, and alcohol abuse. It also presents findings from an evaluation of the impact of these educational programs on a total of 389 workshop participants, including 203 who also received training on how to present the educational workshops. The findings are relevant to anyone who wants to conduct a workshop that will lead to increased recognition and precrisis treatment of mental health problems affecting older adults.