JASA, a nonprofit focused on the mental health of older adults, is making an impact in the lives of over 600 Bronx residents. News 12 spoke with one of their clients, Averill Clayton, on her experience with the program. "It's a great place for people who need the help and want the help. It's here. They're here to catch people. They don't condemn you, they don't criticize you. They just catch you," Clayton said. She told News 12 JASA helped her through losing her son at just 39 years old. She said she depended on him after becoming visually impaired. Clayton said she "completely spiraled" after her son's death, and she wouldn't know where she would be today without JASA. The nonprofit provides individual and group therapy, licensed home care, housing services and more. Staff members told News 12 the mission is to make sure seniors live safely in their communities. "We are deeply committed to creating opportunities and making this really the best chapter of somebody's life," said Danielle Palmisano, the chief program officer at JASA. One of the challenges JASA staff come across is destigmatizing mental health with older populations. "We have to help them understand that it is OK to talk about some of the things that you're going through. It is OK to cry. It's OK to open yourself up and it doesn't make you less than... it doesn't make you weak," said Alfy Jimenez, the senior director of mental health services at JASA. JASA is currently serving over 600 Bronx residents through their clinic services and satellite programs at 10 senior centers throughout the borough.

If you are an older adult who needs help, call 718-365-4044.

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