Using The HOPES Program in Transition Care

This pilot study will collect information about the the potential to use an evidence-based skills training program designed for older people with serious mental illness (SMI), the Helping Older People Experience Success (HOPES) program, to help nursing home residents with SMI gain the skills needed to successfully live in the community. Although HOPES was originally designed to help older people with SMI maintain their residence in the community, the curriculum holds promise for helping nursing home residents with SMI to learn how to return to life in the community. Positive findings would be used to develop a grant application for a larger study of HOPES in nursing home residents with SMI. To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of HOPES in nursing home settings, the investigators will enroll up to 12 residents of the Glencliff Home in Glencliff, New Hampshire. Participants will be individuals interested in discharge from Glencliff and are willing to attend multiple weekly skills training classes and several assessment sessions. Study participation will last until 6 months after discharge from Glencliff.

Inclusion criteria

• Primary DSM-IV Axis I diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder as defined in participants' chart
• An expressed willingness to be discharged from Glencliff Home to the community.
• Voluntary informed consent for participation in the study by the participant or by the participant's legally designated guardian

Exclusion criteria

• Terminal physical illness OR significant medical instability
• Inability to speak or and understand English
• Primary or co-morbid diagnosis of dementia