The Importance Of Geriatric Psychiatry In Geriatric Care Services

When people are looking into geriatric care services, for themselves or for an older family member, all too often solutions only focus on physical care and needs. Many in-home care services can help with chores or meals, or assist the elderly with their daily life - but few provide geriatric psychiatry services along with physical assistance.

For older people, maintaining their mind and mental health is just as important as maintaining their body. Good mental health can even stave off many problems, or slow down the progress of diseases like Alzheimer's. Geriatric psychiatry should be considered a critical part of all geriatric care services.

How Geriatric Care Services Improve Life for Older People

The mind and body change significantly as a person enters old age. Some amount of mental decline is common, as is the ability to multi-task or perform tasks that require fine motor skills. Sleep patterns may shift, and sometimes communication becomes more difficult.

Even knowing these changes are coming, many older people face mental health challenges seeing themselves changing with age. The difficulty is in distinguishing the difference between normal mental changes that come with aging, and more serious psychiatric issues stemming from those changes.

That's where geriatric psychiatry comes in.

Trained professionals can assess an older person, learning about their current lives as well as their lives in the past. By listening to them carefully, the geriatric psychiatrist can discern whether there are more serious mental health issues that need to be addressed or accommodated.

Pharmacology is another critical aspect of geriatric psychiatry. Many medications prescribed to older people can have effects on the brain, memory, or personality - these too need to be recognized and separated from 'standard' aging effects. The geriatric psychiatrist can monitor the effects of those medications or suggest alternatives if current prescriptions seem to be causing harmful side effects.

However, more than anything else, geriatric psychiatry can provide peace of mind - for the older person as well as their family. Helping people accept the process of aging, and maintain a positive self-image despite the changes, leads to happier retirement years.

Alliance Homecare VNA offers extensive geriatric care services, including robust in-home psychiatric care. Our home care nurses are highly qualified, and operate under the supervision of qualified geriatric psychiatrists, to ensure our patients always receive the best care for both body and mind.