Links
to Other Information about Mental Health Services
For The
Elderly
The BCMA is pleased to announce the release of its policy paper, Stepping out of the Shadows: Collaborating to Improve Services for Patients with Depression.
Depression is a serious medical illness that goes beyond temporary feelings of sadness. As many as 870,000 BritishColumbians may experience a major depressive episode in their lifetime. Unfortunately, these patients face a fragmented health care system hampered by a history of chronic under-funding for mental health services. The result is that too few patients are recognized and diagnosed, and among those who are correctly diagnosed, too few are able to access medically necessary follow-up care.
The BCMA report proposes ways to improve access to care for patients suffering from depression, beginning with a review of the disorder and its prevalence in British Columbia, and followed by an examination of its economic and social costs. It also includes a discussion of the organization, delivery, and financing of care for patients with depression and 14 recommendations for government and other stakeholders to address these challenging issues.
You can access this paper online at http://www.bcma.org/publications-media/bcma-policy-papers. Should you have an questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Jonathan Agnew, Assistant Director of Policy, at jagnew@bcma.bc.ca, or by phone at (604) 638-2833.
Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health & Addictions - CARMHA is a research centre within the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University.
Their mandate is to conduct research that can be applied to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, and quality of mental health and addiction services in British Columbia and beyond. Research activities often address innovative approaches to the development, implementation and dissemination and evaluation of health promotion activities, preventive strategies and treatment services, particularly those that can be applied at a system-wide, population level.
Team members have expertise in health services research, policy studies, data linkage and analysis, and knowledge exchange and translation. Partnerships with experts from a local and international network of academic institutions, government agencies, professional organizations and advocacy groups enable CARMHA to play a key role in providing scientific insight to help decision-makers shape the future direction of mental health and addiction services.
Publications are available on line at: http://www.carmha.ca/publications/index.cfm?topic=11
The BC Network for Aging Research (BCNAR) is
one of eight Health of Population networks funded by the Michael
Smith Foundation for Health Research. BCNAR provides
opportunities for researchers from different disciplines,
research streams, academic institutions, community based
organizations and health regions to collaborate in generating
innovative aging research.
www.bcnar.ca
The BC Mental Health and Addictions Research
Network aims to build research capacity and generate
research that will inform policy and practice in the field
of mental health and addictions.
http://www.mhanet.ca/
The Canadian Mental Health Association maintains
a website with general information on mental illness, reports
on relevant research and other publications and links to other
websites with related information.
www.cmha.ca/
The Seniors Mental Health Website has been created to facilitate
activities related to supporting seniors’ mental
health through psychosocial interventions. The content
of the website comes from the Seniors’ Psychosocial
Interest Group (SPIG) which has evolved from a Population
Health Fund project awarded to British Columbia Psychogeriatric
Association (BCPGA), and developed to continue the work
begun by BCPGA, on a national level.
http://www.seniorsmentalhealth.ca/
THE
CANADIAN COALITION FOR SENIORS MENTAL HEALTH:
www.ccsmh.ca
Established in 2002, the goal of
the CCSMH is to support collaborative initiatives which will
facilitate positive mental health for seniors through innovation
and dissemination of best practices.
THE
OFFICIAL CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
FITNESS
TO DRIVE GUIDELINES FOR PHYSICIANS
http://www.cma.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/18223/la_id/1.htm
SENIORS
DRIVING AND SAFETY
The parent site of the 5 year study on Seniors
Driving and Safety has lots of information for patients, families,
physicians anyone working with elderly drivers.
http://www.candrive.ca/En/about/default.asp
THE
AAA FOUNDATION FOR TRAFFIC SAFETY
A number of links to websites and resources
are found at:
http://www.aaafoundation.org/resources/index.cfm?button=links#SeniorDrivers
