Mental health status of home care elders in Michigan

Abstract

Purpose: This study describes the mental health status of community-living frail elders in Michigan and identifies subgroups of individuals who are vulnerable to mental health problems. Design and Methods: We analyzed the baseline assessment data collected from older adults who were admitted to two community-based long-term-care programs in Michigan (N = 18,939). Results: Results show that 40.5% of the individuals in the sample have recognized mental disorders, 39.6% use psychotropic medications, 24.5% have probable depression, and 1.4% have self-injury thoughts or attempts. Frail elders who are White, younger, and female - as well as those who experience more pain, disease burden, cognitive impairment, and limitations in instrumental activities of daily living - are more prone to psychological distress. Implications: Mental health care is greatly needed by community-living frail elders. Copyright 2007 by The Gerontological Society of America.