Originally published December 18 2005
Senior citizens in Britain do not receive adequate mental healthcare benefits
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A report made by the charity Mind has presented a bleak picture of the mental healthcare received by senior citizens in Britain, where people over 65 can expect reduced coverage from the National Service Framework for Older People.
Mental health charity Mind has released a new report, which claims that mental health service provision for older people is well below par.
Access all ages reveals that, despite the prevalence of poor mental health among older people, they receive an unequal service in terms of treatment.
Despite people over 55 accounting for a staggering one third of suicides and one in six people developing clinical depression by the age of 65, the report says that older people face age discrimination, lack of treatment choice and discontinuation of services.
Many mental health service users discover that, when they reach 65, their care management ceases to be delivered using the Care Programme Approach and instead they become subject to the Single Assessment Process in England or Unified Assessment Process in Wales, a care and risk management system for people over 65.
This can happen without the individual concerned being informed or consulted.
While both aim for a holistic assessment process involving health and social care professionals, the emphasis on mental health risk is lost.
The National Service framework for Mental Health only covers people up to the age of 65, after which their mental health concerns are only covered by the non-dedicated National Service framework for Older People.
This NSF has no protected funds or dedicated resources, and mental health requirements are lost among the many other areas covered.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml