Improving Mental Health Services for Older People

The aims of this study were to test the Norwegian version of Goldberg's 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30) in a group of older, care-dependent individuals living at home; to describe self-reported mental health; and to relate mental health to receiving home nursing, home help, and family care. A sample of 234 home nursing patients in Norway aged 75 years and older was interviewed. Mental state was assessed using the GHQ-30. Reliability and validity were calculated with Spearman's rank correlations, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and Mann-Whitney U-test. The factor analysis was performed using the principal components analysis with varimax rotation and Kaiser normalization. Demographic characteristics and amounts of formal and family care were recorded, and descriptive statistics and stepwise multiple regression were used in the analyses. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the GHQ was 0.92. The item-total correlations were generally acceptable. For items concerning depression and anxiety, the item-total correlations ranged from r(s)= 0.60 to 0.77. The factors extracted in the factor analysis explained 70% of the variance in the group. Females<85 years of age living in urban areas were associated with reduced mental health. There were no associations between general mental health and the amounts of formal and family care provided.

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“…Depressive symptoms are closely related to physical health (Boyle 2005; Hall et al . 2006; Tiemeier et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Depressive symptoms are closely related to physical health (Boyle 2005;Hall et al 2006;Tiemeier et al 2005). Although a distinct relationship between disability and depression seems obvious, the nature of this relationship is complex (Bruce 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing and using Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire: Mental health in relation to home nursing, home help, and family care among older, care‐dependent individuals

Dale

Saevareid

Söderhamn

2009

Int J Mental Health Nurs

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“…Many services did not accept over-65s as a condition of their service level agreement, mentioning the presence of specialist services for this age group. While old age may leave people more susceptible to certain conditions such as dementia, it could be argued that service users should not be compelled to use geriatric services once they reach a certain age, as age is a political and social construct bearing no relation to actual need (Hall et al, 2006;Harper, 1997). However, a number of services allowed people to continue attending past the 'cut-off' age.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Provider perspectives on mental health day service modernization

Swan

2010

J of Public Mental Health

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A postal survey and semi‐structured interviews were under taken with mental health day centre staff in two regions of England, investigating whether criticisms levelled at buildings‐based day services are justifiable. The majority of respondents agreed with recommendations outlined in From Segregation to Inclusion (National Institute for Mental Health in England/Care Services Improvement Par tnership, 2006), believing that mental health services should ideally be based in community locations. Respondents believed that this would help to challenge stigma, facilitate community integration, and provide service users with more oppor tunities. However, concerns were expressed as to the availability of mainstream facilities and whether this approach would be suitable for all service users. Suggestions on how day services could be improved included having access to reliable sources of funding, relaxing access criteria, and having greater service user involvement.

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“…There is mounting evidence that the quality of mental health service and consumer satisfaction with those services can have a major impact on recovery from mental illness (Hungwe, 2010;McCrae & Banerjee, 2011;Ruggeri, 1994). With mental illness prevalent in up to 10% of the older population (Hall, Waldock, & Harvey, 2006), the elderly are becoming a significant consumer group of mental health services in Australia. Consequently there is an increasing need to deliver, at the very least, good quality care through older persons' mental health services and in primary care.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Older persons’ perspectives on satisfaction with a mental health service and its impact on their recovery

Ojala¹,

Wheeler

2012

Journal of Social Inclusion

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Consumer satisfaction with mental health services plays an important part in recovery from mental illness. Older consumers in particular need access to appropriate care and assistance, due to their often-compromised health status. It has been extensively reported that well-organised care enables a larger number of older consumers to return to the community as active members. To date, however, there has been little research in the area relating to older consumer satisfaction with mental health services in Australia.This small qualitative study reports the personal experiences of five older consumers residing in a rehabilitation-focused older persons' mental health service. The consumer participants revealed that whilst they rated the service quality as satisfactory in general, when more specifically probed they did not find it suitable in meeting their individual recovery goals. Their main areas of concern were: inability to move freely, finances being managed by a public trustee, repetitiveness of meals, and those meals were not cooked on site. This narrative study revealed a need for the mental health service to focus more on individualised and consumer-centred services; in particular a higher degree of flexibility, encouraging independence, increasing freedom of choice and allowing consumers to have a say in their care, recovery planning and social inclusion.

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Improving Mental Health Services for Older People

Cited by 3 publications

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Testing and using Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire: Mental health in relation to home nursing, home help, and family care among older, care‐dependent individuals

Testing and using Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire: Mental health in relation to home nursing, home help, and family care among older, care‐dependent individuals

Provider perspectives on mental health day service modernization

Older persons’ perspectives on satisfaction with a mental health service and its impact on their recovery

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