The mental health needs of people living in extra care housing

What is it about?

Extra care housing is promoted as the best way of providing long-term support for older people. What happens to people if they develop dementia or other mental health problems in these settings is less clear. While promising 'a home for life', the reality is that many have to move on to more dependent care facilities if they experience significant problems. This paper reports data from 268 residents in ten extra care housing schemes who were judged to be at risk due to mental health problems.

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Photo by Kristina Tripkovic on Unsplash

Photo by Kristina Tripkovic on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Formal diagnosis varied substantially across schemes and staff estimates of diagnosis were also variable. Formal assessment of those residents that staff identified as being most at risk, however, showed that they had similar profiles regardless of the size of the scheme. These findings suggest that there is a need to take a proactive approach to people's mental health in extra care housing in order to be serious about maintaining a good quality of life for all within housing schemes.