Elders with Serious and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI)

Abstract

With the growing elderly population, service needs for elders with serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI) will also increase. The current study examines some of the unique challenges and needs faced by the SPMI elderly population. This study describes elders' perceptions of service access, utilization, and satisfaction as well as therapists' perceptions of chronic mental illness among the elderly and their mental health service utilization. The sample consisted of 30 rural-dwelling SPMI elders and their respective service providers (N = 30). Results indicate that elderly participants were utilizing a variety of community and social supports. Further, elderly participants perceived fewer negative effects from their illnesses than did their clinicians. Elderly participants responded more positively than did their clinicians on ratings of interference with functioning, adjustment to living, and social competence suggesting that participants viewed the consequences of their mental illnesses as less disabling than did their clinicians. Implications for social work practice are discussed.