Senior communities must address stigma, train staff and collaborate with mental health providers to support older adults' emotional well-being.
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Imagine for a moment that you are 75 years old and have recently decided to sell your home and move into a senior living community with your spouse. Then, within two weeks of your move, your spouse unexpectedly passes away. Or imagine for a moment that you moved into a senior living community several years ago. Your health is declining, and the community care team is saying that you need more assistance and should move out of your independent living home. Or imagine that you are a resident at a continuing care community living in an independent apartment, and you are becoming more confused and forgetful.
While these scenarios may resonate with the senior living operator, they cause a great deal of anxiety and stress for the residents. They are examples of real-life events that significantly affect a resident's mental health and well-being.
Aging involves biological, physiological and environmental changes, as well as shifts in social support networks. The National Institute of Mental Health emphasizes the importance of behavioral health services for seniors. As seniors grow older, they may face many life changes that increase their risk of mental health issues and create a need for support for emotional well-being and treatment options tailored to their specific challenges, such as chronic illnesses, loss of loved ones and social isolation.
These situations put seniors at risk of anxiety and depression symptoms, often leading to the need for behavioral treatments and services.
Because mental health is vital, effective treatment options are available to help manage mental health and enhance quality of life.
Senior living communities play a vital role in detecting signs and symptoms of mental health issues and collaborating with specialized mental health providers to ensure residents receive prompt care and interventions. This involves creating a supportive environment, offering education and resources and making it easier to access professional help.
Symptoms of mental disorders affecting older adults
Noticeable changes in mood, energy level, or appetite
Feeling flat or having trouble feeling positive emotions
Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
Difficulty concentrating, feeling restless, or on edge
Increased worry or feeling stressed
Anger, irritability, or aggressiveness
Ongoing headaches, digestive issues, or pain
Misuse of alcohol or drugs
Sadness or hopelessness
Thoughts of death or suicide or suicide attempts
Engaging in high-risk activities
Obsessive thinking or compulsive behavior
Thoughts or behaviors that interfere with work, family, or social life
Engaging in thinking or behavior that concerns others
Seeing, hearing and feeling things that other people do not see, hear, or feel
What senior living communities can do to promote mental health, wellness and awareness
Supporting a pipeline of mental health training programs for residents, families, staff and healthcare providers is essential. This comprehensive training will equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively address and reduce mental health stigma in senior living communities.
Engaging mental health professionals to train staff on assessment screenings and basic competency in quality behavioral care for older adults is essential. This guidance ensures your staff are well-trained and supported to deliver the best possible care for residents.
Train staff on caring for residents with severe mental illness.
Support mental health programs and coordinated care by using a person-centered approach across providers, and connect residents with essential mental health, medical and community services.
Working with pharmacy providers who manage medication for severe mental health disorders. This partnership guarantees that the medication plan is customized and follows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines, providing reassurance and confidence in the care given.
Choose mental health providers who perform regular screenings and comprehensive evaluations of a person’s physical, psychological and medical history to identify underlying causes of symptoms, ensure correct diagnoses and create suitable treatment plans.
Risk managers' role in mental health awareness and program development
The risk manager can play a crucial role in supporting senior living organizations with mental health programs by identifying, assessing and reducing risks related to mental health care to enhance resident safety and ensure regulatory compliance. Here are some recommended strategies for risk managers.
Policy creation and review: Develop, assess and update mental health policies and procedures to ensure they comply with regulatory requirements and current legal standards.
Staff training programs aim to help employees identify mental health issues, learn de-escalation methods and effectively manage mental health challenges.
Incident analysis involves examining incidents caused by mental health issues, such as falls, self-harm, or aggressive behavior, conducting a root cause analysis and implementing preventive measures.
Enhance communication programs by establishing clear channels among healthcare providers, mental health specialists and families to ensure coordinated care and informed decision making.
Data collection and reporting: Monitor mental health-related incidents to identify trends, evaluate program effectiveness and support ongoing quality improvement.
Collaborate with mental health providers to ensure programs are evidence-based and residents receive proper care and services.
Risk management oversight can proactively support mental health programs, balance risk and resident autonomy and help ensure safe, high-quality care while reducing legal and financial liabilities.
Conclusion
The impact of mental health stigmas on a senior's emotions, psychological health, social relationships and financial security is substantial. Senior living clinical operators must thoroughly understand the signs and symptoms of mental illness and develop a plan to reduce stigma, recognize behavioral changes and provide resources that help residents access appropriate care and support.
Senior living community leaders and operators should collaborate with behavioral health partners and risk managers to develop resident-centered, tailored service plans and mental health programs. This teamwork should also raise awareness about seniors' risk factors and predisposing conditions that could cause mental health issues, while also creating educational programs for staff in senior living communities. By understanding seniors' behavioral health needs and using available resources, senior living operators can greatly improve their residents' mental well-being and quality of life as they age.
National Council on Aging (NCOA): Provides resources for managing mental health and promoting well-being among seniors. NCOA offers many resources focused on mental health support for seniors and recently published a paper on understanding mental health stigma. Various factors contribute to complex mental health issues in seniors, including public stigma and negative attitudes toward mental illness, self-stigma, which is internal prejudice or negative views about mental illness and cultural stigma, where a community's central beliefs view mental illness unfavorably. Structural stigma is another significant barrier embedded in society when workplaces or government agencies reject policies or care provisions for people with mental illness. Each type of stigma can lead to discrimination, exclusion and social isolation for seniors.
Substance use disorder and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Offers a variety of resources and support for older adults dealing with mental health and substance use issues. SAMHSA offers various resources to support seniors with mental health and substance use disorders. These resources can benefit clinicians, service providers, older adults and caregivers.
SAMHSA has also published a report highlighting disparities in screening for mental health and substance use issues, collaborative care and the utilization of medication treatments for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) among older adults.
SAMHSA also offers an evidence-based resource guide highlighting psychosocial interventions for older adults with Serious Mental Illness (SMI). The guide provides considerations and strategies for interdisciplinary teams, peer specialists, clinicians, registered nurses, behavioral health organizations and policymakers to understand, select and implement evidence-based interventions that support adults with serious mental illness.
Technology Solutions: Effective monitoring and treatment is essential for addressing medical comorbidity among individuals with serious mental illness. Telehealth interventions supported by a nurse care manager have been shown to improve self-efficacy in managing depression. Emerging mHealth and eHealth offer new opportunities to reach at-risk residents.
The CDC has a healthy aging web page that addresses depression and identifies that 4% of older adults aged 70 and over have depression. The CDC recognizes that treatments such as meditation for depression, psychotherapy and a combination of both treatments work. The CDC has a 988 suicide and crisis lifeline and chat services online at 988 lifeline org.
Disclaimer
WTW hopes you found the general information provided here informative and helpful. The information contained herein is not intended to constitute legal or other professional advice and should not be relied upon in lieu of consultation with your own legal advisors. In the event you would like more information regarding your insurance coverage, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. In North America, WTW offers insurance products through licensed entities, including Willis Towers Watson Northeast, Inc. (in the United States) and Willis Canada Inc. (in Canada).
