Fourteen health services constitute the Victorian older adult clinical mental health system.
Specialist older adult clinical mental health services serve individuals aged 65 and older, as well as First Nations people aged 50 and older. They offer treatment for those with long-standing mental health challenges or functional illnesses developed later in life.
These services are commonly known as Older Adult Clinical Mental Health (OACHM) services. They also provide support to older adults with psychiatric or severe behavioural difficulties associated with organic disorders such as dementia.
Service components include community based older adult clinical mental health teams, acute inpatient services, intensive community treatment programs and residential care.
Community based older adult clinical mental health services are delivered through multidisciplinary teams that offer specialist medical assessment and treatment, psychological, behavioural, social, and functional assessments, along with a variety of therapeutic interventions.
Acute mental health inpatient services for older adults are located alongside aged care facilities and general hospitals. In some rural areas, acute inpatient beds for older adults are collocated with adult inpatient units.
Intensive community treatment program
The intensive community treatment (ICT) program in aged persons mental health (APMH) services is an alternative to acute inpatient beds.
The program aims to:
- provide older adults with an alternative treatment setting to hospitalisation during an acute phase of their mental illness, and prevent hospitalisation where possible
- provide intensive treatment in the older person’s home during an acute phase of a mental illness, when the person and their family or carer expresses this wish
- minimise the length of stay in an inpatient unit by providing ICT during an acute episode of illness.
The program's target group includes:
- older adults whose acute treatment for their mental illness can be delivered safely in their home as an alternative to being admitted to an aged persons mental health acute bed
- older adults who have family or other carer supports available for the period of treatment
- older adults whose length of stay in hospital can be minimised through intensive treatment at home.
These services are not available in all catchments.
Residential care
Aged persons mental health (APMH) services provide specialist residential care for older people with a mental illness who cannot live at home or be managed in mainstream aged care residential services.
APMH nursing homes and hostels provide accommodation, ongoing assessment, treatment and rehabilitation as a transition to mainstream residential care.
Nursing homes treat older people with a mental illness (typically for a period of 12 to 18 months), with the aim of reintegrating them with mainstream aged care residential services.
Hostels provide accommodation and support for daily living for older people who cannot live at home, but require a period of specialist support. These clients do not need full nursing care.
These services are not available in all catchments.
Related resources
Reviewed 17 May 2024