Aspirus Ironwood Hospital Senior Wellness Program

At Aspirus Ironwood Hospital, we provide older adults with quality behavioral healthcare. Patients that come to the program have Medicare Part B and an unresolved need for the program/condition such as depression, anxiety, grief or loss, difficulty adjusting to life changes, or other mental health concerns.

The staff at Aspirus Ironwood Hospital Senior Wellness Program utilizes a multidisciplinary treatment team including a Psychiatrist, a therapist, and a Registered Nurse to develop an individualized plan of treatment for each patient. Our goal is to provide a safe environment for our patients to come and share their feelings with others that are experiencing similar issues.

Treatment Team

The Multidisciplinary Treatment Team meets once a week for patient treatment planning as well as discussing the patient’s progress and any concerns.

The Therapist provides psychotherapeutic services to each patient that is admitted into the program.

• After admission into the program, the therapist will complete a psychosocial assessment with the patient within 5 days. The therapist provides group therapy sessions (3 per treatment day). 
• One group therapy session lasts 45 minutes and may have anywhere from 2 to 8 patients on average along with the therapist. During these sessions, the patients process thoughts and feelings as well as identify their individual progress towards treatment goals.
• The Therapist also provides individual, family, and marital therapy as needed. These are typically 30/45/70-minute sessions that are done prior to the first group session, during a private lunch, or after group therapy hours. Individualized treatment goals are focused on in these sessions.

The Registered Nurse meets with our patients daily to complete a daily nursing assessment.

• The nurse is evaluating each patient for any physical or emotional symptoms that are present.
• The RN also provides a daily nursing education group on topics such as relaxation, medication education, self-esteem, exercise promotion, pain management, problem-solving, fall and safety precautions, smoking cessation, nutrition, discharge planning, medication compliance, social skills, and many more.
• The RN monitors patients throughout the course of treatment to identify health needs, problems, and symptoms. Individual treatment goals are focused on during enrollment in the program.  

A Typical Day 

The following is the current daily schedule for Aspirus Ironwood Geriatric Behavioral Health patients:

After Graduation

At Aspirus Ironwood Geriatric Behavioral Health we provide aftercare for up to one year after graduation (discharge) from the program. During aftercare, the patient is contacted at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 1 year to identify progress and if re-assessment is needed.