Aged Persons Mental Health Services (65+ years)

• Aged persons mental health intensive community treatment - Program statement - October 2008
• An introduction to Victoria's specialist clinical mental health services - January 2006 (PDF file 507KB)
• Victorian Mental Health Service System - May 2005 (PDF file 149KB)
• Specialist mental health service components - May 2005 (PDF file 91KB)

Target group

Aged persons mental health services are primarily for people with a long-standing mental illness who are now over 65 years of age, or who have developed functional illnesses such as depression and psychosis in later life. They also provide services for people with psychiatric or severe behavioural difficulties associated with organic disorders such as dementia.

Service components

Aged persons assessment and treatment services

These services provide community-based assessment, treatment, rehabilitation and case management for older people. The service is delivered through multidisciplinary teams. They provide specialist expertise in medical assessment and treatment, psychological, behavioural, social and functional assessments and a corresponding range of therapeutic interventions. The teams also provide education for consumers and carers as well as consultation to other service providers.

APMH Nursing Homes and Hostels

These services provide a range of specialist bed-based services to consumers who cannot be managed in mainstream aged care residential services due to their level of persistent cognitive, emotional or behavioural disturbance. APMH nursing homes and hostels specialise in caring for older persons with a mental illness and provide longer-term accommodation, ongoing assessment, treatment and rehabilitation. They are designed to have a familiar, homelike atmosphere, and residents are encouraged to participate in a range of quality of life activities. Consumers may remain in these units for lengthy periods but opportunities are sought where possible to achieve discharge to a less restrictive environment such as a generic nursing home.

Acute inpatient services

These services provide short-term inpatient management and treatment during an acute phase of mental illness until sufficient recovery allows the person to be treated effectively in the community. These services are located with other aged care facilities and/or general hospitals. In some rural services, aged acute inpatient beds are co-located with an adult inpatient unit.