CONCLUSIONConclusionHaving good mental health throughout life does not ensure immunity from severe depression, Alzheimers disease, anxiety disorders, and other mental disorders in the senior years of life. Take note of noticeable changes in an older persons behavior or moods. These changes could be symptoms of conditions for which help is available. Seniors should not be afraid to seek medical and psychiatric evaluations and treatments that can return them to a productive and happy life. There is help, and there is hope.ConclusionHaving good mental health throughout life does not ensure immunity from severe depression, Alzheimers disease, anxiety disorders, and other mental disorders in the senior years of life. Take note of noticeable changes in an older persons behavior or moods. These changes could be symptoms of conditions for which help is available. Seniors should not be afraid to seek medical and psychiatric evaluations and treatments that can return them to a productive and happy life. There is help, and there is hope.ConclusionAddressing these challenges will require theconcerted efforts of all those working forbetter mental health of older persons in boththe public and private sectors, includingpolicymakers, practitioners and serviceproviders, researchers, consumers andfamily members, and other advocates. And,the time to address these critical challengesis surely upon us, for if we wait, our servicesystems will be overwhelmed with the influxof aging baby boomers and the suffering thatmany seniors who are not able to accessmental health services currently endure willcontinue.We can take advantage of the numerousefforts in mental health and aging that havebeen implemented and can use them as afoundation for crafting policies, programs,and research that will enhance the mentalhealth of older persons and their families.The emerging crisis in geriatric mentalhealth care also provides the opportunity towork in partnership across services systemsand disciplines to address the mental healthneeds of older adults.

Summary/ConclusionPromotion of healthy aging in all its aspects is an important role for nurses. Earlyrecognition, diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders that are common in late life areimportant to prevent disability and untoward sequelae. Care for older adults with mentalillness requires sensitivity and observational and relational skills in order to help the olderperson achieve and maintain the highest possible level of function and well being.Providing for a peaceful death in this population is also important. Geropsychiatricnursing is both a challenging and rewarding area of nursing practice.

III. ConclusionHigh quality care of elderly people with mental health problems beginswherever the individuals are in their own homes, hospital or residentialfacilities. The formal system of elderly mental health care has been outlinedearlier in this document, but the importance of family, friends, volunteersand others in the informal context of peoples' lives is also recognizedas playing a necessary role. Above all, it is vital to remember that if servicesare to be truly client-centred, the individual must be valued and respectedby encouraging and enabling participation in decision making at the highestlevel of their ability.This report acknowledges the limited amount of published researchspecifically addressing best practices in mental health for elderly people.It also recognizes and values the practical wisdom of those providingservices to this population. This report articulates best practices developedand reported by service providers, as well as from literature.While a service or program must ultimately reflect demonstrable evidenceof quality, it must also be recognized that there is no one best service systemthat is appropriate in all situations, for what is best in one community maynot be best for another community with different demographics, resourcesCONCLUSION41or other factors. Services and programs must, therefore, reflect local variationsin need and the potential for innovative responses to needs, as well as moregeneral standards for efficacy, efficiency and quality.All programs should have goals and objectives that are stated, achievableand measurable. Appropriate evaluations should be done regularly to ensurethat each program continues to meet the local needs, as well as the stated goalsand objectives. Once standard evaluations for needs, processes and outcomesare established, British Columbia will be better able to understand its ownpractices in relation to Canadian and world standards.