Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of older Victorians: A submission to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System and the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety
Older people are important, contributing members of the Victorian community who have the same rights and needs for programs and services across the continuum of mental health promotion, illness prevention, treatment, recovery support, and suicide prevention as other age groups. At present, they are missing out in many of these areas. This report outlines five key areas for the reform of mental health care for older people:
- Increasing focus on mentally healthy ageing and mental ill-health prevention
- Increasing the availability and accessibility of services for older Victorians
- Improving the quality and range of supports and services available
- Strengthening the older persons mental health workforce and increasing funding
- Preventing suicide, particularly among older men and women over 80 years.
The full report is available here.