Mental health among the United States’ late-life demographic has been a recent, but not weak, concern. The facts could speak of a country that may have neglected its elderly: substance abuse, depression, dementia, and anxiety are
growing afflictions of Americans over the age of 65. In a country where nursing homes and
associations and government bodies in support of the elderly are common, there are many areas of improvement in terms of anticipating the most life-changing needs of the elderly.
Now that care problems have surfaced, solutions and general attitudes are being given teeth by the
Positive Aging Act, S. 1119, sponsored by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) and reintroduced in the Senate June last year. The provisions of the act standardize primary care services in communities and extend the scope of these to unreached elderly populations.
Of particular focus are mental health services needing integration into primary care services. The coordination is largely seen as a multi-disciplinary effort combining the contributions of geriatric psychiatrists and bureaus that are specifically mandated to address crucial dimensions of mental health such as substance abuse. The latter has been a growing scourge among the elderly and is widely recognized as one of the main focuses of projects that the Positive Aging Act could set in motion.
Mental health professionals will also be interfacing with other medical professionals and providers of health and social services to close the circle of meted overall care. The elderly and their families, too, are expected to be key players in the identification of other gaps and potential projects of a national scale.
Geriatric psychiatrist Dr. Evelyn Rosen is part of a pool of mental health professionals calling for the expansion of care services for the elderly. Visit this Facebook page to know more about Dr. Rosen’s practice and issues that affect the elderly in America.
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