Older Adult (65 years and over)

This documentation provides extracts from relevant sections of the National Guidance - Initial Assessment and Referral for Mental Health Care which has been designed to assist general practitioners and clinicians to recommend the most appropriate level of care for an older adult (aged 65 years and over) seeking or requiring mental health support.

Whilst the Guidance uses age to indicate the overall appropriateness of each tool, the final decision about the most appropriate version is based on the clinical judgment of the user, taking into account contextual and developmental considerations.

• Domains
  • Overview
  • Domain 1 - Symptom severity and distress (Primary Domain)
  • Domain 2 - Harm (Primary Domain)
  • Domain 3 - Functioning (Primary Domain)
  • Domain 4 - Impact of co-existing conditions (Primary Domain)
  • Domain 5 - Service use and response history (Contextual Domain)
  • Domain 6 - Social and environmental stressors (Contextual Domain)
  • Domain 7 - Family and other supports (Contextual Domain)
  • Domain 8 - Engagement and motivation (Contextual Domain)
• Levels of Care
  • Overview
  • Level 1 - Self Management
  • Level 2 - Low Intensity Services
  • Level 3 - Moderate-Intensity Services
  • Level 4 - High-Intensity Services
  • Level 5 - Acute and Specialist Community Mental Health Services