Professional Care for the Elderly Mentally Ill - Softcover

Services to older people with mental health problems have gone through radical change in recent years. Legislation has had a profound effect by dictating how care to older people is delivered both within hospital and within the community. The recent government agenda emphasizes cost effectiveness, value for money and accountability. This, too, is an important driving force in re-evaluat­ ing the service, although not everyone would agree with many of the proposed strategies and there are clearly different views as to the appropriateness of many of the services. One thing is certain, however - the move towards interdiscipli­ nary working is here to stay. Not all change has been led by legislation, and many innovations have been founded in the day-to-day practices in the care of older people with mental health problems. A service, of course, does not become integrated merely by imposing joint­ working on a number of professionally based disciplines, and in many ways this may not be desirable. At its worst it produces duplication, where people from different background are all doing the same job. This is not the intention of joint-working, instead it should attempt to improve the quality of service by a rich mix of skills and experience from a number of related disciplines.

The aim of this book is to consider the need for adopting new models of working with the elderly mentally ill. There is a need to get away from the stereotypical attitude to older people. As a first step towards new models of caring, there is a need to recognize that clients have a right to be involved in decisions about their own care. Of particular importance is the client's right to information. New ways of working require new approaches to planning and assessment. Taking a client-based approach to care planning opens the way to a more radical view on appropriate therapies, illustrated by group work on grief, stress and anxiety, and the role of the day hospital with a particular focus on the role of dance and movement. New models of working require a broader perception of involvement. The corporate strategies necessary to put these models into practice and the way forward in the light of the need for accountability and standards required under the new health service are illustrated. This book should be of interest to student nurses on the mental health branch of P2000, psychiatric nurses, students of occupational therapy, social work, physiotherapy, and other health professionals working with the elderly.