Mental health in aged care

Better Place Australia (BPA) has expanded its psychological services for older people living in residential aged care facilities (RACFs). BPA now services facilities across the Mornington Peninsula, North West Primary Health Network (NWPHN), South East Melbourne Primary Health (SEMPHN), Western Victoria Primary Health Network (WVPHN) and the Geelong-Otway regions. Residents in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) have a high rate of diagnosed mental illness but mental health support services had been unavailable to them. Funding from the Commonwealth Government through Primary Health Networks has enabled us to now provide free psychological support to residents with low to mild diagnosed mental health conditions and those who are at risk of mental illness. Our interventions cover individual and group sessions, including music therapy which has proven to be highly effective within this group.

Read an overview of academic and grey literature that provides suggestions for best practice in the field of mental health interventions in aged care. Click here.