Search results for ‘Subject term:"older people"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 1 of 1
Exploring the advocacy needs of older people with mental health problems in the West Midlands
- Authors:
- BROWN Geraldine, STANDEN Nicola
- Journal article citation:
- Working with Older People, 15(1), March 2011, pp.13-18.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
The advocacy needs of older people with mental health problems remain a poorly researched area. As such, this paper presents findings from a small study undertaken in partnership with Sandwell Advocacy, a voluntary sector organisation, and researchers from Coventry University in one local authority area in the West Midlands. The study investigated the advocacy needs of people aged 65 years and over with mental health problems and determined the current level of demand or need for advocacy among this user group. Respondents included 147 stakeholders, comprising of service users, carers and service providers. Overall, findings suggested dissatisfaction with the services provided, with 94% of service users not using advocacy services. In conclusion, the authors describe a need for mechanisms to capture advocacy in order to properly inform the commissioning of advocacy within mental health services.