The first comprehensive reference, rich in practical advice from its international and multidisciplinary team.

The care home sector is large, with over 400 000 residents in the UK and a similar number employed within the homes. It is therefore an area of considerable economic importance. Care home residents are often very old, and many have multiple physical and mental health needs, meaning that their care poses particular challenges. They are also a distinctly and profoundly marginalised group who are often invisible in the wider debates on quality of care including those about care homes. Mental Health and Care Homes is a coherent and evidence-based text exploring these issues. Bringing together both clinical and research perspectives it will help those working in the care home sector to deliver high quality care and support to both residents and staff. This important, yet neglected, area is thoroughly reviewed by a range of experts including residents, family carers, staff, researchers, and clinicians. The book has four sections: 'the inside view' which includes several first-hand accounts of care home life; 'the outside view' which discusses the regulatory, funding, and legislative context in which care homes operate; 'mental health and care', a detailed review of the major mental and other health issues that arise in care homes, as well as interventions and services to offer support; and a section exploring the 'promotion of health and wellbeing' including examples of good practice. It concludes by synthesising key themes and setting an agenda for further enquiry. The book is written in a style that encourages engagement, with the inclusion of contemporary case studies and examples, making it topical and readable. It will be valuable for a broad professional and vocational audience across both health and social care, as well as students and researchers.

The Handbook of Mental Health and Aging, Third Edition provides a foundational background for practitioners and researchers to understand mental health care in older adults as presented by leading experts in the field. Wherever possible, chapters integrate research into clinical practice. The book opens with conceptual factors, such as the epidemiology of mental health disorders in aging and cultural factors that impact mental health. The book transitions into neurobiological-based topics such as biomarkers, age-related structural changes in the brain, and current models of accelerated aging in mental health. Clinical topics include dementia, neuropsychology, psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, mood disorders, anxiety, schizophrenia, sleep disorders, and substance abuse. The book closes with current and future trends in geriatric mental health, including the brain functional connectome, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), technology-based interventions, and treatment innovations. Identifies factors influencing mental health in older adults Includes biological, sociological, and psychological factors Reviews epidemiology of different mental health disorders Supplies separate chapters on grief, schizophrenia, mood, anxiety, and sleep disorders Discusses biomarkers and genetics of mental health and aging Provides assessment and treatment approaches

Bringing together treatment and referral advice from existing guidelines, this text aims to improve access to services and recognition of common mental health disorders in adults and provide advice on the principles that need to be adopted to develop appropriate referral and local care pathways.

Though mental health recommendations for the elderly is rapidly evolving, the few current textbooks on this subject are either too voluminous or complex for regular review by clinicians, and most do not contain the latest information available in the field. Written by experts in geriatric psychiatry, this book provides a comprehensive yet concise review of the subject.The text covers topics that include the social aspect of aging, treatment and diagnosis options unique to the elderly in need of psychiatric care, policy and ethics, and particular geriatric health concerns that may influence psychiatric considerations. Psychiatric Disorders Late in Life is the ultimate resource for practicing psychiatrists, physicians, geriatricians, and medical students concerned with the mental healthcare of the elderly.

This book is a practical resource that will support the delivery of holistic mental health interventions in the primary and community care setting for older people. Primary care delivery is discussed in relation to both functional mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, and psychotic and personality disorders, and acquired organic mental disorders of old age, such as dementia, cognitive impairments, and delirium. Careful consideration is paid to the complex relationship between mental and somatic health problems, as well as the impacts of multimorbidity and polypharmacy. Further topics include, for example, epidemiology, wider determinants of health, different care models, history taking, neurocognitive and capacity assessment, and pharmacological, psychological, and physical interventions. The wider goals of the book are to support the development of community resilience and self-care in older people; to promote universal access and equity for older people in order to enable them to achieve or recover the highest attainable standard of health, regardless of age, gender, or social position; and to promote pathways to care for older people with mental health problems respecting their autonomy, independence, human rights, and the importance of the life-course approach. This book will be an invaluable resource for all professionals who work with older adults with mental health problems and those training in these fields including physicians, psychiatrists, family doctors, geriatricians, general practitioners, nurses, psychologists, neurologists, occupational therapists, social workers, support workers and community health and social care workers.

Social isolation and loneliness are serious yet underappreciated public health risks that affect a significant portion of the older adult population. Approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely. People who are 50 years of age or older are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and sensory impairments. Over a life course, social isolation and loneliness may be episodic or chronic, depending upon an individual's circumstances and perceptions. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, comparable to other risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity. As older adults are particularly high-volume and high-frequency users of the health care system, there is an opportunity for health care professionals to identify, prevent, and mitigate the adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults summarizes the evidence base and explores how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, particularly among low income, underserved, and vulnerable populations. This report makes recommendations specifically for clinical settings of health care to identify those who suffer the resultant negative health impacts of social isolation and loneliness and target interventions to improve their social conditions. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults considers clinical tools and methodologies, better education and training for the health care workforce, and dissemination and implementation that will be important for translating research into practice, especially as the evidence base for effective interventions continues to flourish.