Mental health in aged care needs to be a priority, not just a statistic

One of the key findings of this year’s Royal Commission into Aged Care Interim Report was the recognition that many residential aged care providers are not doing enough to support residents suffering from anxiety and depression. Research conducted by Everybody’s Business in regional Victoria last year – as well as numerous studies and surveys – also echo these concerns and underline an urgent need to address the gaps in our aged care system.

This issue is not new and, seemingly, part of an underlying pattern of neglect in the sector. In 2012, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Depression in residential aged care 2008-2012 report noted that 52% of permanent RACF residents had symptoms of depression. Five years later, the Royal Commission’s Interim Report has quoted a study of 150 RACFs that reveals 41% of residents were being prescribed antidepressants.

The reasons for this state of affairs are complex, but not unexpected. Many residents find the transition from independent living to residential care stressful, or even devastating, especially if they are located far away from loved ones. This can be compounded by the fact that many people enter care because of necessity, not desire, and consequently suffer from the loss of autonomy and control over their own lives. It is therefore unsurprising that many people in RACFs either have existing, or developing, primary mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety, grief and loss and social isolation. However, it is equally vital that they – like any other member of the community – receive adequate support for these conditions that extends beyond medication to more comprehensive interventions, such as therapy, social care and wellbeing programs.

The message is clear: our health care providers urgently need to shift their mindset on the delivery of care to focus on the mental – as well as physical – wellbeing of older consumers. Furthermore, this issue needs to be pushed up the aged care policy agenda if we are to make improvements into the quality of life for older people in their final years.