Translating collaborative models of mental health care for older adults: Using Iowa's experience to inform national efforts

Abstract

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act supports the translation of collaborative models of mental health care, but how the act will affect older adults remains unclear. The authors examined a sample of older Medicare beneficiaries and evaluated how individual characteristics, local service supplies, and other contextual features corresponded with the identification of older persons with psychiatric diagnoses and their access to specialty mental health care providers. Older adults presented a variety of psychiatric disorders, and their access and use of specialty mental health care related to age; sex; diagnosis; supply of mental health, health, and long-termcare providers; and whether an older person lived in a rural area. Translation of collaborative models should consider a range of psychiatric conditions, adjust for varying local provider supplies, and consider the challenges in establishing collaborative care within rural areas. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.