Published March 4, 2021

Ongoing partnership initiative provides support in the areas of mental health and caregiving

LOS ANGELES, March 4, 2021 – Keiro and Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) have announced the continuation of their partnership initiative to expand and enhance support to the community’s older adults, with a focus on mental health and caregiving.

The initial partnership initiative began back in 2017. Continuing to serve older adults and their caregivers in the community, this partnership focuses on the following three areas:

• Mental Health Initiative – LTSC is one of the few organizations able to provide mental health counseling services in Japanese in Southern California. With the need for mental health support continuing to grow, these services remain vital in addressing mental health issues and their impact on both the individual and their families. Funding will provide expanded counseling services to low-income Japanese older adults facing conditions such as clinical depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and managing significant life changes.
• Caregiver Support Initiative – Support groups, both in-person and virtual, empower family caregivers to receive support from others who share their challenges and experiences. Through the partnership, LTSC and Keiro will develop a caregiver support group facilitator curriculum, intended for lay facilitators who wish to start a support group at their faith-based or community organizations.
• Supplement LTSC’s client assistance programs. LTSC’s client assistance programs provide temporary aid to older adults, without other resources, to help them overcome financial predicaments.

“We are grateful to once again partner with Little Tokyo Service Center in enhancing the great work they already do in our community, specifically in the areas identified as highest need,” said Gene S. Kanamori, president and CEO of Keiro. “We hope that this partnership initiative can also shed light and promote awareness on important issues like mental health and caregiving.”

“There is an increasing and pervasive need for social services and mental health care for the Japanese older adult community,” said Erich Nakano, Executive Director of Little Tokyo Service Center. “We appreciate Keiro’s renewed commitment to sustain much-needed and underfunded programs at LTSC. This partnership allows LTSC to strengthen our efforts, reach those in need, and help seniors age in place.”

For more information on these initiatives please visit keiro.org or ltsc.org.

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About Keiro

For 60 years, Keiro has focused on improving the quality of life for older adults and their caregivers in the Japanese American community of Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura counties. Keiro provides a range of culturally-sensitive programs and resources, in both English and Japanese, to meet the evolving needs of our aging community. In everything we do, we advance our mission through a person-centered, innovative, and collaborative approach. For more information, visit keiro.org.

About Little Tokyo Service Center

Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) is a social service and community development organization that has been creating positive change for the people and places in Southern California for more than 40 years. Starting with its home in Little Tokyo, the organization builds and strengthens the unique ethnic communities of the region and helps people thrive. Assisting Nikkei seniors has been at the core of LTSC’s work since its establishment in 1979. LTSC’s social services program, which was created to serve monolingual Japanese seniors, is the organization’s longest running program. LTSC’s services for seniors include: care management, counseling and therapy, intake information and referral, support groups, community education workshops and other senior-focused activities that promote wellness. For more information, visit ltsc.org.