“Deeply entrenched and systemic” ageism means symptoms of mental illness are dismissed as “age-only” and older people may be left without access to mental health care, the report said. Ta.
Research by the Center mental health called on older generations to show the same concern as younger people, warning that current discrimination affects not only older people, but also families, communities and public services.
The centre’s report, commissioned by Age UK, is based on a review of literature published over the past five years and finds that among older people there is a “pervasive sense of pessimism and inevitability that normalizes poor mental health”. ” was pointed out.
The report, published on Tuesday, found “an urgent need to address ageist assumptions and expectations about mental health in later life”.
The authors said part of the problem is that older people tend to be under the radar in both mental health services and policy-making, noting that they have little involvement in “research and policy-making.”
They said that in the absence of a national strategy or blueprint to help public services prevent mental illness and aging in later life, “it becomes increasingly important for health and care services to address this.” [elderly mental health] Effectively”.
Andy Bell, Chief Executive of the Center for Mental Health, said: ‘Recent reports point to a very worrying increase in poor mental health among young people.
“We want to show similar concern for older generations and ensure that their experiences of poor mental health are not ignored as an inevitable part of aging.”
He said ageism was “deeply ingrained and systemic, and is causing people to miss out on the opportunity to live a more mentally healthy retirement.”
He said: “The absence of a section on later life in successive national mental health plans means that little investment has been made in mental health support for older people. It is a type of discrimination that leaves people without proper support.”
Paul Farmer, CEO of Age UK, said poor mental health in later life was not an inevitable part of aging.
He said: “There is a contradiction at the core of mental health support for older people: on the one hand, it is undervalued, and on the other hand, low mood and depression are treated as ‘just getting old’.”
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Young people are “more likely to take time off from work due to illness”
“In either case, the outcome is the same: too many people go without the care they need to maintain good mental health as they age.
Research funders should prioritize projects that focus on mental health in later life, while integrated care boards (ICBs) should be trained to provide mental health support to older people and address ageist attitudes. The report states that the staff system that has been used by the government should be reviewed.
And if NHS England reviews the effectiveness of the 2019 Community Mental Health Framework for Adults and Older People, a new scheme should ensure that mental health care is delivered later in life.
