The enormous increase in the diverse elderly population has prompted a vital societal challenge: the design and delivery of mental health services to the older adult. The elderly population in the United States is projected to grow rapidly between 2010 and 2030 as the 76 million "baby boomers" reach 65 years of age. By 2030, older adults will account for 20% of the nation's population. The need for geriatric mental health services will increase dramatically because of the growth in this older population (Administration on Aging, 2017).
Old age can be an exciting time. However, for many of our elders the struggle to cope with difficult life situations or mental disorders can negatively affect their ability to participate actively and fully in life. Although some cognitive functions decline as a normal course of aging, loss of mental functioning may be reversible and treatable (Administration on Aging, 2017).
Diagnosing mental disorders in the aging adult can be difficult, since physical ailments usually take precedence in the minds of the older person. Multiple physical ailments and polypharmacy, as well as declining vision and hearing that affect perception of the environment, can cause confusion, disorientation, and depression. This makes it difficult for the healthcare professional to differentiate between, for example, the confusion resulting from the adverse effects of a medication and the beginning symptoms of depression or irreversible dementia.
Complicating the problem, older adults grew up during a time when there was a strong stigma associated with mental illness and they may not want family or friends or themselves to be seen as “mentally ill” and so delay or avoid treatment (Meiner, 2014). Helping older adults understand the importance of seeking assistance when they are struggling with depression, or worse, is an important role of the healthcare professional.