|
07
August 2003
Press Statement
Concern
About Continuing Care for
Older
People with Mental Disorder
In
a letter to Minister Martin last week Dr Kate Ganter, Chairperson
of the Irish College of Psychiatrists said, "Old Age Psychiatrists
dealing with older people with mental disorder are concerned that
the development of necessary facilities and teams has not matched
the expansion in consultant posts. (Fourteen additional posts
have been created in the past five years). Indeed there is still
marked variability across the country with regard to resources
provision and therefore the services that can be delivered. Against
this background and in the context of changes in mental health
legislation the Irish College of Psychiatrists has reviewed the
issue of continuing care for older people"
"With
regard to continuing care for older people in a psychiatric setting
the primary need is for those with dementia and associated behavioural
disturbance which cannot be managed in other settings. This may
be further defined as follows:
"Sustained or frequently
recurrent difficult behaviour including aggression and violence,…..
which arises from dementia or other serious psychiatric disorder
and is of a severity that cannot be managed in other settings
except inappropriate use of sedation" [Statement on continuing
care for older adults with psychiatric disorder. Psychiatric Bulletin
(1997) 21, 588]"
"This
is also consistent with the definition of severe dementia within
the definition of mental disorder in the Mental Health Act, 2002"
The letter to
the Minister points out that the recommended requirement for this
group of people is 3 beds per 1,000 population over 65 years. [The
Royal College of Psychiatrists Irish Division (1998), The future
of psychiatry in Ireland. Dublin: The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Irish Division]
The Irish College
of Psychiatrists recommends that all continuing care units for older
people, where a consultant psychiatrist has clinical responsibility
for residents, must be ‘designated units’ under the
relevant mental health legislation.
"This will
ensure that units are inspected, that standards are maintained,
that residents are afforded the same protections as other people
detained under mental health legislation, and that there is a clarity
with regard to the use of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological
interventions for this vulnerable population who do not have the
capacity for informed consent"
|
