How can geriatric psychiatry professional organizations maximize multidisciplinary partnerships to advance care?

Abstract

The best models for mental health care for the elderly have focused on the need for multidisciplinary teams to address the breadth of physical, social and psychological needs of aging individuals. Yet, a common professional organizational structure typically focuses on a single specialty profession that may limit the ability to grow collaborative teams and foster development of across professions. One barrier that may remain is the nomenclature referring to older persons and their mental health care needs. We also identify challenges to creating these partnerships globally and across generations.Extensive survey across professions yielded responses from 332 individuals representing 20 professions and 7 major geographic regions. We identified important subgroups with understandably different views. For example, nonmembers demonstrated dissatisfaction with the term Psychogeriatrics; Non-physician members were less satisfied with the terms than physician members. While consumer sample was small, there was little opposition to the name and many reported that membership conferred expertise that was important to them both as patients and as family caregivers. Important geographic patterns emerged that indicated that in LAMC countries the terminology conferred expertise which was compelling to providers as well as consumers. Of note, LAMC had little infrastructure to support or assess non-physician providers. Reports from developed countries expressed the desire to move away from the term psychiatry/psychology and endorsed the term “mental health”. There was wide approval and acceptance of the mission to support for a multidisciplinary professional organization and acknowledgement that it serves aging patients through its strong commitment to supporting the autonomy, independence and human rights of older persons.While the field of geriatric psychiatry is recognized for its effectiveness in serving mental health needs for older persons, consideration to supporting a nomenclature that encompasses the breadth of disciplines needed to provide comprehensive care may provide a new approach for multidisciplinary professional development.