The mental health of older Australians is being ignored

The mental health of older Australians is being ignored despite key mental health issues such as men over 85 having the highest age-specific suicide rate and the elderly having a prescription rate for anxiety, insomnia and sedative drugs at 500% of the general population

The statement, Priority must be given to investment that improves the mental health of older Australians, is calling for the government to include older people in all mental health planning to improve their quality of care, remove discrimination and obtain better understanding of the mental health needs of older Australians. “It is vital these issues be considered in the Commonwealth Government’s Ten Year Roadmap for Mental Health Reform and response to the Productivity Commission Report into Aged Care,” said Dr Roderick McKay, Chair of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists’ Faculty of Psychiatry of Old Age. “Untreated mental illness robs older Australians of their quality of life, physical health and independence at significant cost to individuals, family and community. While there are effective mental health treatments for older people, limited resources deny them equitable access. Action must start now to address this deficiency. Australia owes its older citizens and their families adequate support, respect, and dignity,” said Dr McKay.

“In the next 20 years the number of Australians over 65 will double, yet the mental health care of older people has been largely ignored in the mental health reform agenda. We have serious concerns about the inadequacy of planning for the mental health needs of older people and their limited access to mental health care and poor mental health outcomes. Access to general practitioner mental health services by people over 65 is a third of those aged 33 to 44 years, and to psychologists is one fifth,” said Dr McKay.

“To improve the quality of mental health care for older people we require national benchmarks for the availability and quality of mental health services for older people, and need national principles for providing coordinated care across different services for older Australians with mental illness. Basic mental health training for people working with older Australian is also essential,” said Dr McKay. “To remove discrimination against older people with mental disorders we require community and residential aged care services that are inclusive of the needs of people with mental illness, we need removal of all barriers to older Australians in residential aged care accessing the same mental health services as the rest of the community and removal of all exclusions from access to mental health services on the basis of having dementia,” said Dr McKay.

“To obtain a better understanding of the mental health needs of older Australians we must undertake a survey of the mental health and wellbeing of older Australians which will identify all older people, audit regional access to multidisciplinary mental health care specialized on the needs of older people, fund research on effective mental health interventions in older people and fund mental health promotion activities,” said Dr McKay.

Source: The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists