CONCLUSION

Conclusion
Having good mental health throughout life does not ensure immunity from severe depression,
Alzheimers disease, anxiety disorders, and other mental disorders in the senior years of life.
Take note of noticeable changes in an older persons behavior or moods. These changes could be
symptoms of conditions for which help is available. Seniors should not be afraid to seek medical
and psychiatric evaluations and treatments that can return them to a productive and happy life.
There is help, and there is hope.
Conclusion
Having good mental health throughout life does not ensure immunity from severe depression,
Alzheimers disease, anxiety disorders, and other mental disorders in the senior years of life.
Take note of noticeable changes in an older persons behavior or moods. These changes could be
symptoms of conditions for which help is available. Seniors should not be afraid to seek medical
and psychiatric evaluations and treatments that can return them to a productive and happy life.
There is help, and there is hope.

Conclusion
Addressing these challenges will require the
concerted efforts of all those working for
better mental health of older persons in both
the public and private sectors, including
policymakers, practitioners and service
providers, researchers, consumers and
family members, and other advocates. And,
the time to address these critical challenges
is surely upon us, for if we wait, our service
systems will be overwhelmed with the influx
of aging baby boomers and the suffering that
many seniors who are not able to access
mental health services currently endure will
continue.
We can take advantage of the numerous
efforts in mental health and aging that have
been implemented and can use them as a
foundation for crafting policies, programs,
and research that will enhance the mental
health of older persons and their families.
The emerging crisis in geriatric mental
health care also provides the opportunity to
work in partnership across services systems
and disciplines to address the mental health
needs of older adults.

Summary/Conclusion
Promotion of healthy aging in all its aspects is an important role for nurses. Early
recognition, diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders that are common in late life are
important to prevent disability and untoward sequelae. Care for older adults with mental
illness requires sensitivity and observational and relational skills in order to help the older
person achieve and maintain the highest possible level of function and well being.
Providing for a peaceful death in this population is also important. Geropsychiatric
nursing is both a challenging and rewarding area of nursing practice.

III. Conclusion
High quality care of elderly people with mental health problems begins
wherever the individuals are in their own homes, hospital or residential
facilities. The formal system of elderly mental health care has been outlined
earlier in this document, but the importance of family, friends, volunteers
and others in the informal context of peoples' lives is also recognized
as playing a necessary role. Above all, it is vital to remember that if services
are to be truly client-centred, the individual must be valued and respected
by encouraging and enabling participation in decision making at the highest
level of their ability.
This report acknowledges the limited amount of published research
specifically addressing best practices in mental health for elderly people.
It also recognizes and values the practical wisdom of those providing
services to this population. This report articulates best practices developed
and reported by service providers, as well as from literature.
While a service or program must ultimately reflect demonstrable evidence
of quality, it must also be recognized that there is no one best service system
that is appropriate in all situations, for what is best in one community may
not be best for another community with different demographics, resources
CONCLUSION
41
or other factors. Services and programs must, therefore, reflect local variations
in need and the potential for innovative responses to needs, as well as more

general standards for efficacy, efficiency and quality.

All programs should have goals and objectives that are stated, achievable
and measurable. Appropriate evaluations should be done regularly to ensure
that each program continues to meet the local needs, as well as the stated goals
and objectives. Once standard evaluations for needs, processes and outcomes
are established, British Columbia will be better able to understand its own
practices in relation to Canadian and world standards.