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The Mental Health Commission has described the unavailability of acute mental health beds and the severe under-resourcing of community mental health services for the elderly as “alarming.”
The independent statutory body says the levels of unmet health needs among the older generation are extremely high.
Today’s report from the Mental Health Commission is a stark warning about the provision of mental health services for older people in Ireland.
It says that services for people with dementia, anxiety and depression are inadequate and that the mental health of the elderly is not receiving the attention it deserves in public policy.
Community mental health teams are considered essential for the provision of an integrated service; however, the report says these services lack resources.
All of this is taking place in the context of Ireland’s growing aging population: in 30 years, 470,000 people are expected to be over 80 years old.
The Commission says services must be urgently improved or older people will have a difficult time accessing mental health services in the coming years.
The impact of Covid-19 on the elderly is also addressed in the report.
He has described the rapid transmission of the virus, higher death rates, self-isolation, social distancing and quarantine as “a perfect storm” for the mental health of older people.
It says older people should be provided with more single room accommodation in acute mental health care and residential settings, and community teams with the right staff and other supports that allow them to stay home as long as possible.
The report also notes that Ireland has 1.2 dedicated acute mental health beds for the elderly per 100,000 people, compared to 6 per 100,000 in England and 9.7 in Northern Ireland.
Mental Health Commission Executive Director John Farrelly says the report shows that Ireland is not providing a comprehensive nationwide integrated mental health service for older people.
“Parents, grandparents and older people in general deserve the best care and treatment this country can provide, but it is clear from this report that we have a lot of work to do,” he says.
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