Meeting the mental health needs of older adults in all practice settings

Integration of mental health services in occupational therapy practice with older adults, meaning evaluation and intervention for mental health concurrent with rehabilitation for physical disabilities, is critical to providing quality care. This approach has been suggested in the context of primary care, but should be carried out across practice settings. Although mental health conditions have detrimental effects on the well-being of elders, seniors do not commonly seek out mental health services. For elders with late life and mild depressive symptoms, medications have only modest effects creating a strong need for nonpharmacological interventions. Although there are therapists addressing mental health in conjunction with treatment for physical disabilities, this is not the norm. In this issue/opinion paper, I argue for better integration of physical and mental health services in occupational therapy practice with older adults and in the education of occupational therapy practitioners.