Resources

When a loved one moves into residential aged care, it's not unusual for there to be a difficult adjustment period. In this ABC article, two experts give their advice on what to do if you suspect your loved one in aged care has depression.

Professor Sunil Bhar, the co-founder of The Wellbeing Clinic for Older Adults, describes the issue of aged care residents and depression in an article for The Conversation.

Little is known about anxiety in aged care populations, despite its increase in this frail population. This study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders investigated the prevalence, recording, and treatment rate of anxiety disorders among aged care residents.

An Australian research study finds less than three in 100 residents of Australian aged care facilities accessed Medicare-subsidised mental health services between 2012 and 2017 despite a high prevalence of mental health conditions among this group. Reported in Australia Ageing Agenda, 14 July 2022.

This 2002 Medical Journal of Australia article provides an overview of rehabilitation and older people providing guidance for practice essentials.

This background paper was developed by the Sustainable Health Review secretariat and focused on the need to reduce the costs of acute healthcare by strengthening sub-acute services for older Australians.

This article discusses the history and evolution of reablement programs in Australia.

This 2019 professional development article from the Australian Journal of General Practice (AJGP) discusses reablement, restorative care and rehabilitation providing a function-focused approach to address the needs of older people with functional decline.

General practitioners have a key role in providing quality primary care in terms of the identification, assessment, provision of information, referral and ongoing management. This article published in Australian Family Physician discusses the role of the GP in the diagnosis and management of people with dementia.

This article published by NPS MedicineWise provides information about depression in dementia, including the clinical picture, assessment, management, and referral.