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Mental Health and Addiction of Older People and Dementia Project

Ministry of Health,

The Ministry of Health has commenced a project that will develop guidance to inform how district health boards (DHBs) provide services for people with dementia and people aged over 65 who are affected by mental health and addiction problems.

The guidance will also inform how DHBs provide services to meet the needs of people who age with disabilities and other conditions who develop symptoms of dementia or mental health or addiction problems. The guidance is expected to be completed by the end of June 2009.

Developing this guidance will involve several phases. All phases will involve collaborating with DHBs, NGOs and other key stakeholders, including service user and family/whānau representatives.

Key phases will involve:

  • defining the groups of people whose needs may not be being adequately or appropriately met,
  • identifying the services that DHBs currently provide for people in the defined groups and considering how these services are provided,
  • establishing an external reference group that represents perspectives of key stakeholders nominated from across the mental health, addictions, older people, disability and chronic conditions sectors,
  • investigating and defining how the needs of people in the defined groups could be better met in the context of an ageing population, and
  • providing DHBs with guidance on how to better meet the needs of people in the defined groups.

DHBs are responsible for funding and providing the range of services that are available for people with dementia and older people with mental health problems, including services to support their carers. The range of services includes mental health and aged care services such as home-based support services, respite care, residential care services and access to specialist services. People in the defined groups are likely to need services provided by a range of different providers, and may need specialist residential/hospital-level services.

The project aims to support DHBs to provide quality services in a more consistent manner so that people accessing services in different locations will receive similar services and pathways of care. The guidance will also help DHBs improve coordination between the services that are available to meet the needs of people in the defined groups.

Contact person Roz Sorensen, Senior Project Manager
Postal address
Phone
Email Roz_Sorensen@moh.govt.nz
Website address http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/mental-health-of-older-people-and-dementia-project-oct08
Submitted by Ns
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