Helping Older People Experience Success: An Integrated Model of Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Health Care Management for Older Adults with Serious Mental Illness

Abstract

Older adults with serious mental illness (SMI) are a rapidly growing group of mental health consumers who are at high risk for institutionalization, excess disability, morbidity, and early mortality. Clinical services and research has largely neglected the pressing psychosocial and health care needs of this group. In this article we first provide a summary of the psychosocial and medical challenges of older people with SMI. Next, we describe a conceptual model of psychosocial rehabilitation and health care management for older people with SMI. We then present an integrated social rehabilitation and health care management intervention developed by the authors (Helping Older People Experience Success; HOPES) that was designed to meet the rehabilitative needs of older people with SMI. Finally we describe the baseline characteristics of older adults with SMI participating in a three-year randomized clinical trial that is underway to evaluate the effectiveness of HOPES compared with usual care. Implications ar...