Mental health issues become more common with age, and data shows they become even more common if you require aged care – whether in your home or in a residential facility.
Older people receiving aged care are more susceptible to mental health problems than those that are not receiving care, research from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has revealed.
The Mental Health in Aged Care report found almost one quarter (23.1 per cent) of people receiving a home care package, and just over half (57.7 per cent) of people entering a residential aged care facility, were recorded as having a mental health condition.
Who and what did the report look at?
This report looked at people using home care packages and people using permanent residential aged care. A home care package, as the name suggests, offers professional healthcare support to assist older people living at home. It is comprehensive home-based support that includes personal care, social supports to promote independence. There were around 216,000 people receiving a home care package when the report was compiled.
Permanent residential aged care provides accommodation and healthcare for people who have been assessed as needing higher levels of care than can be provided at home, including 24-hour nursing care. There are around 181,000 people were living in permanent residential aged care.
The research showed it’s most likely that the health issues that saw them seek out aged care in the first place are causing the decline in mental health – and not the care itself.
“Older individuals … accessing aged care services may be susceptible to mental illbeing because of the health and function limitations that lead them to access these services, in combination with high rates of loneliness and bereavement,” the report reads.
Crucially, the levels of mental illness seen in aged care residents is much higher than levels seen in older people who are not in care.
The 2022 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing found 7.9 per cent of men and 11.1 per cent of women aged 65 to 85 (both receiving and not receiving aged care) had a mental illness, which may show that mental health declines as care needs increase.
Difference also seen in suicide numbers
The difference was also reflected in suicide statistics. The AIHW report, using data from the National Death Index, found the standardised suicide rate among people aged 65 and over is higher for those receiving care than for others.
But in this category, the difference between those in residential care and those getting a home care package was stark – but not in the way you might think.
The standardised suicide rate for all Australians aged 65 and over is 12.9 per 100,000 people, while the rate for those living in residential aged care is slightly higher at 13.0 per 100,000.
But for those receiving an aged care home package, the suicide rate skyrockets to 22.5 per 100,000. It’s not clear exactly why the rate jumps so high for at-home care, but may simply reflect the fact that it’s harder to commit suicide in a residential facility.
Where do we go from here?
The report makes a number of recommendations for improving the situation, such as expanding current aged care assessments to include mental health, increasing mental health monitoring programs among age care residents and improving data collection from age care around mental health.
“Improving the collection, availability, and reporting of data about mental health in aged care users can guide policy planning and service delivery to promote mental wellbeing,” the report concludes.
How can we improve the mental wellbeing of people receiving aged care? Let us know in the comments section below.
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