Disparities in dementia care at US mental health care facilities: Analysis of US nationwide data from 2010 to 2020

Abstract

<h3>Introduction</h3> Background: The number of US seniors with dementia is projected to increase in the coming years. Deaths from Alzheimer's disease more than doubled between 2000 and 2020. Purpose: To investigate the availability of mental health treatment programs tailored for seniors with mental health disorders and Alzheimer's disease among US mental health care facilities. <h3>Methods</h3> Data (2010 – 2020) from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive (SAMHDA) was analyzed to examine differences in proportions of US mental health care (MHC) facilities providing Alzheimer's or dementia treatment and mental health care services. <h3>Results</h3> The number of US mental health care centers that provided mental health treatment specifically designed for individuals with Alzheimer's or dementia decreased from 1,162 (11.2%) in 2010 to 866 (6.9%) in 2019. We see a decrease in all mental health care facilities in all US regions. On the other hand, the number of MHC facilities providing care for seniors in the US (66.2% in 2010 to 80.3% in 2019), the proportion providing specialized MHC to seniors (18.4% in 2010 to 26.3% in 2019), and the proportion providing substance use treatment to US seniors (6.9% in 2010 to 24.7% in 2019) all significantly increased within the examined period. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Considering the projected increase in the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease in the US, the proportion of US MHC facilities providing dementia care and other specialized MHC to the US elderly need to increase. Therefore, further investment in the mental health care of the elderly in the US is urgently warranted. <h3>This research was funded by</h3> None Chart: https://apps.aagponline.org/abstracts/uploads/2022/qsrr3g7xl4pc1ij.pdf