WHO stresses importance of mental health care for the elderly
GOOD general health and social care are important for promoting older people’s health, preventing disease, and managing chronic illnesses, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.
According to the WHO, the training of all health providers in working with issues and disorders related to ageing is, therefore, crucial for effective, community-level primary mental health care for older people. It is equally important, it said, to focus on the long-term care of older adults suffering from mental disorders as well as to provide caregivers with education, training, and support.
An appropriate and supportive legislative environment, based on internationally accepted human rights standards, is required to ensure the highest quality of services to people with mental illness and their caregivers, said the world health body.
“WHO supports governments in the goal of strengthening and promoting mental health in older adults and to integrate effective strategies into policies and plans. The global strategy and action plan on ageing and health was adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2016. One of the objectives of this global strategy is to align the health systems to the needs of older populations for mental as well as physical health. Key actions include: orienting health systems around intrinsic capacity and functional ability; developing and ensuring affordable access to quality older person-centred and integrated clinical care; and ensuring a sustainable and appropriately trained, deployed, and managed health workforce,” said an article dealing with ageing on the WHO’s website.
The UN body said the “Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan for 2013-2020” is a commitment by all WHO member states to take specific actions to promote mental well-being; prevent mental disorders; provide care; enhance recovery; promote human rights; and reduce the mortality, morbidity, and disability for people with mental disorders, including in older adults.
It focuses on four key objectives:
* strengthen effective leadership and governance for mental health;
* provide comprehensive, integrated, and responsive mental health and social care services in community-based settings;
* implement strategies for promotion and prevention in mental health; and
* strengthen information systems, evidence, and research for mental health.
Depression, psychoses, suicide, epilepsy, dementia, and substance use disorders are included in the WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) that aims to improve care for mental, neurological, and substance use disorders through providing guidance and tools to develop health services in resource-poor areas. The mhGAP package consists of interventions for prevention and management for each of these priority conditions in non-specialised health settings, including in those for older people.
WHO said it recognises dementia as a public health challenge and published the report Dementia: A public health priority to advocate for action at international and national levels. It organised the First Ministerial Conference on Global Action Against Dementia in March 2015, which fostered awareness of the public health and economic challenges posed by dementia, a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of member states and stakeholders, and led to a “Call for Action” supported by the conference participants.
In May 2017, the World Health Assembly endorsed the global action plan on the public health response to dementia 2017-2025. The plan provides a comprehensive blueprint for action – for policymakers; international, regional and national partners; and WHO – in areas such as increasing awareness of dementia and establishing dementia-friendly initiatives; reducing the risk of dementia; diagnosis, treatment, and care; research and innovation; and support for dementia carers. It aims to improve the lives of people with dementia, their carers and families, while decreasing the impact of dementia on individuals, communities, and countries.
As part of the efforts to operationalise the plan, an international surveillance platform, the Global Dementia Observatory, has been established for policymakers and researchers to facilitate monitoring and sharing of information on dementia policies, service delivery, epidemiology, and research.