How prepared is the mental health care system to answer the increasing mental health needs of the elderly? A nursing perspective

Abstract

Background: The mental health of older adults, while a topic of increasing concern, remains poorly addressed by mental health care systems, and gaps in service provision having been frequently reported in international literature. While part of the gap might be explained by the way the services are organized for different subgroups of users (e.g. severely mentally ill older adults), the staff perception of users need and how to respond to those might also play a relevant role. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the perception of nurses working in the mental health area in psychiatric services in Bucharest, regarding the different mental health care needs of the different subgroups of users, as well as the preparedness of the services they work in to deal with an increased ageing population. Methods: A structured questionnaire assessing the nurses’ perceptions on the mental health care needs of the different subgroups of users was developed and distributed to participants to the annual conference in Bucharest. Results: Among the factors that nurses believe can influence the preparedness of the mental health care system to deal with the mental health needs of an increasing ageing population most frequently mentioned were: the stigma surrounding mental illness and mental health treatment; denial of problems; access barriers; the lack of adequate professional and paraprofessional staff trained in the provision of geriatric mental health services. Discussion: While some of these factors are difficult to address due to their systemic nature, others – such as the training of staff – could be already included in the educational strategies of relevant professional and governmental institutions. Conclusion: Better understanding of the nurses’ perception on how mental health problems of older persons were responded to by the national health care system in this study will provide information to support policy makers to plan the resource allocation process.