Public mental health care for older Californians is lacking as need grows

California ’s older adult population will increase 64 percent by 2035, and with it the need for more mental health services. Yet the state’s public mental health system lacks adequate services specifically tailored to older adults, according to a study and other documents released today by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.Notably, the state has no systematic record of which local agencies used state mental health care funds to provide services for older adults or data to measure whether treatments worked.This is the state ’s first evaluation of mental health services for adults 60 and older in the public mental health system. In the study, authors report that the mental health needs of older adults are often “lumped in” with those of all adults, although older adults’ needs can be very different based on their stage of life. “California’s older adults have unique needs but are often treated generically,” said Janet Frank, faculty associate at the center and leader of the evaluation. “Older adults often have multiple chronic illnesses which complicate mental health care.”Funds not specifically mandated for elders ’ mental health careAs of 2014, the  Mental Health Services Act of 2004 generated $13 billion to fund delivery of public mental health services, according to documents reviewed in the study. However, no money is specifically earmarked to develop a system of care for older adults. In contrast, children’s mental health program...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news