Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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Persecutory symptoms and perceptual disturbance in a community sample of older people: the Islington study
- Authors:
- LIVINGSTON G., et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 16(5), May 2001, pp.462-468.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Describes a study in Islington, an inner London borough. Residents aged 65 or over were interviewed at home. The Short-CARE was used to elicit psychiatric symptoms and diagnosis. Sociodemographic particulars were elicited using the Client Sociodemographic and Service Receipt Inventory. Questions were asked regarding sight and hearing. Subsections of the geriatric mental scale were used to identify people who had paranoid symptoms and perceptual disturbance (PDD). 720 people were interviewed. Twenty-eight (3.9%) participants scored positively on the PPD sub-scales of the GMS. Analysis found the significant independent predictors were dementia, drinking alcohol in last 6 months, drinking alcohol to help sleep, subjective memory loss and uncorrected visual impairment. Concludes that there is a relatively high prevalence of PPD in older people living in the community. This is not associated with higher use of services despite the increased needs. Further studies should consider interventions to meet this unmet need.
Growing old disgracefully
- Author:
- LEE Michele
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Today, October 2007, pp.30-33.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
Services are still failing to meet the needs of older people with mental health problems. The author discusses the issues drawing on findings from the UK Inquiry into Mental Health and Well-Being in Later Life.
Separating the personal from the professional
- Author:
- BHADURI Reba
- Journal article citation:
- Professional Social Work, March 2001, pp.14-15.
- Publisher:
- British Association of Social Workers
The author had a shock when she visited her mother in India and discovered the realities of caring for a person with mental health problems. Here she describes the difficulties that many carers cope with on a daily basis.
Improving services and support for older people with mental health problems: executive summary
- Author:
- AGE CONCERN
- Publisher:
- Age Concern
- Publication year:
- 2007
- Pagination:
- 12p.
- Place of publication:
- London
This is the second and final report of the UK Inquiry into Mental Health and Well-Being in Later Life. The Inquiry was launched in late 2003 as a result of concern that mental health in later life is a much neglected area. The range of mental health problems experienced in later life is very wide, including depression, anxiety, delirium (acute confusion), dementia, schizophrenia and other severe mental health problems, and alcohol and drug misuse. This report presents a comprehensive review of key facts and figures relating to each of these, as well as facts and figures on services and sources of support. It aims to illustrate how services and support for older people with mental health problems can be improved. This report draws on evidence from older people, carers, organisations and professionals. Five main areas are identified for action: ending discrimination; prioritising prevention; enabling older people; improving current services; and facilitating change. The report concludes that the levels of unmet mental health needs amongst older people are extremely high, and that age discrimination remains the fundamental problem. The report makes 35 recommendations which are listed along with the recommendations from the Inquiry’s first report.
Unmet needs for mental health services for Latino older adults: perspectives from consumers, family members, advocates, and service providers
- Authors:
- BARRIO Concepcion, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Community Mental Health Journal, 44(1), February 2008, pp.57-74.
- Publisher:
- Springer
This study qualitatively assessed the need for mental health services among Latino older adults in San Diego, California. The primary mental health issue was depression. Primary organizational barriers to accessing services were language and cultural barriers secondary to a lack of translators, dearth of information on available services, and scarcity of providers representative of the Latino community. Other challenges included a lack of transportation and housing, and the need for socialization and social support. Latino older adults experienced their unmet needs in ways associated with their cultural background and minority status. Age- and culturally-appropriate services are needed to overcome these barriers.
The unmet needs of the elderly with diabetes in home health care
- Author:
- LEE Ji S.
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work in Health Care, 45(3), 2007, pp.1-17.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The implementation of the Prospective Payment System in Medicare home health care (HHC) is intended to reduce spending and has raised concerns about the health outcomes for older people. This study examines the unmet health needs of 129 older diabetic patients while receiving HHC, and after discharge from the programme. The findings show that a quarter reported experienced unmet needs post-discharge though not reporting such needs while receiving HHC, while 15.5% reported unmet needs while receiving HHC. Unmet needs included social work services, home health aides, homemaker services and medical equipment. The higher than average levels of depression and emotional problems in the sample (relatively more common among people with diabetes) may be significant. The findings highlight the importance of social work services for people with diabetes who receive HHC, and the need for social workers to be involved in discharge planning. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
Invisible and ill: three case reports of homelessness in older adults
- Authors:
- BENBOW Susan M., COHEN Paul R.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Adult Protection, 8(3), November 2006, pp.12-15.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
The authors describe three homeless older people who presented to an old age psychiatry service. Homeless older adults are likely to have untreated mental and physical health problems and to be invisible to services. It is argued that to detect and treat them, services need to be more flexible.
Needs assessment in dementia
- Authors:
- MEANEY A. M., CROKE M., KIRBY M.
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 20(4), April 2005, pp.322-329.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Resource allocation and service development traditionally focuses on diagnostic categories and consequent perceived need. Identification of the actual level of need in the elderly with dementia, and the degree to which it is unmet is necessary to plan services both individually and as a group. The aim of this study was to characterise the needs of a sample of community dwelling elderly patients with dementia who were referred to an old age psychiatry service in Ireland between July 2002 and July 2003. Eighty-two consecutively referred community dwelling patients with ICD-10 diagnosis of dementia were assessed on The Care Needs Assessment Pack for Dementia (CareNap-D). Data on needs across seven domains (health and mobility, self-care and toileting, social interaction, thinking and memory, behaviour and mental state, housecare, community living) is presented. Subjects had a mean of 33 (range: 13-56) identified needs. Approximately 1/3 of these were unmet with a mean of 13 (range: 0-37) and a mean of 20 (range: 4-39) were met. High levels of unmet need was identified in the domains of behaviour and mental state (84% of those with agitation) and of social interaction (79% of those with partaking in activities need). The specific item of repetitive questioning occurred in 68 individuals and was unmet in 88% of these cases. Increasing age, lower MMSE score, and living alone were associated with greater total levels of unmet need. This data underlines the degree of unmet need in the community dwelling elderly with dementia and the importance of developing a spectrum of services on the basis of the actual needs identified.
Age of discontent
- Author:
- EATON Lynn
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 1.3.01, 2001, p.25.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
Argues that health and social services are not well equipped to help with depression among older people.
The care needs of older patients with bipolar disorder
- Authors:
- DAUTZENBERG Geraud, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 20(9), 2016, pp.899-907.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objectives: With ageing, bipolar disorder evolves into a more complex illness, with increasing cognitive impairment, somatic comorbidity, and polypharmacy. To tailor treatment of these patients, it is important to study their needs, as having more unmet needs is a strong predictor of a lower quality of life. Method: Seventy-eight Dutch patients with bipolar I or II disorder aged 60 years and older in contact with mental health services were interviewed using the Camberwell Assessment of Need in the Elderly (CANE) to assess met and unmet needs, both from a patient and a staff perspective. Results: Patients (mean age 68 years, range 61–98) reported a mean of 4.3 needs compared to 4.4 reported by staff, of which 0.8 were unmet according to patients and 0.5 according to staff. Patients frequently rated company and daytime activities as unmet needs. More current mood symptoms were associated with a higher total number of needs. Less social participation was associated with a higher total number of needs and more unmet needs. Conclusion: Older bipolar patients report fewer needs and unmet needs compared to older patients with depression, schizophrenia, and dementia. A plausible explanation is that older bipolar patients had higher Global Assessment of Functioning scores, were better socially integrated, and had fewer actual mood symptoms, all of which correlated with the number of needs in this study. The results emphasise the necessity to assess the needs of bipolar patients with special attention to social functioning, as it is suggested that staff fail to recognise or anticipate these needs. (Edited publisher abstract)