Wednesday, 20 August 2003: 09:00-10:30 | |||
S055 Recent Advances in Mental Health Services Research: Integrating Mental Health Services for Older Adults into Primary Care and Home Healthcare | |||
| This symposium will provide an overview of recent findings from three randomized trials of health services interventions aimed at providing mental health services to older persons in healthcare settings. The first presentation, Collaborative Care for Late Life Depression, Dr. Jurgen Unutzer presents results from a randomized trial of collaborative care for late life depression in primary care. Depressed older adults (N=1,801) were randomly assigned to care as usual or an intervention consisting of a Depression Care Manager providing education, antidepressant care management, and problem solving therapy. The intervention was associated with higher rates of depression treatment, greater rates of remission and lowered depression severity, less functional impairment, and greater quality of life compared to usual care. The second presentation by Dr. Stephen Bartels, provides early findings from the PRISME Study (Primary Care Research in Substance Abuse and Mental Health for the Elderly), in which 2,022 elderly participants with depression, anxiety or at-risk alcohol use were randomized to integrated mental health services in the primary care setting or enhanced referral to specialty mental health clinics. Integrated care resulted in greater engagement in mental health services (71%) compared to referral to specialty mental health services (49%). Greater engagement was predicted by assignment to the integrated model and by more severe symptoms. Finally, Dr. Martha Bruce presents early findings from a randomized controlled study of mental health services provided within home health care. This study identified high rates of depression among home healthcare recipients and low rates of treatment and identification. Dr. Bruce will describe a model that includes strategies for improving identification and care management for older adults receiving medical home health care services. These three studies provide important findings on integrated mental health services in general healthcare settings for older persons with respect to improving access in outcomes. Implications for reforming mental health service systems for older adults will be discussed. | |||
| Chair: | Stephen Bartels | ||
| S055-001 Integrating Mental Health Services for Older Adults into Home Healthcare Martha Bruce | |||
| S055-002 Improved Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment for Older Adults by Integrated Services in Primary Care Stephen Bartels | |||
| S055-003 Collaborative Care for Late-Life Depression Jürgen Unützer | |||
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