Mental Health Commission of Canada Guidelines for Comprehensive Mental Health Services for Older Adults in Canada

On October 12, 2011, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) released the Guidelines for Comprehensive Mental Health Services for Older Adults in Canada. 

Coauthored with the Canadian Coalition for Senior's Mental Health, and developed with input from seniors,  families, service planners, and service providers from across the country, the Guidelines were designed to  support individuals and groups working to ensure that the diverse mental health needs of Canadian seniors are met in the coming decades. 

The full document has been organized into three sections, including evidence-based recommendations highlighted in grey boxes:

Part I: Framing the Context – Key Factors to Consider in Planning a Comprehensive Integrated Mental Health System for Seniors sets the context and explores the key factors that should be considered when planning a mental health service system for older adults, including guiding values and principles that underpin the recommendations and content of this document. 

Part II: An Integrated Model for Mental Health Services in Late Life focuses on the services required to support adults in later life, including models for mental health services in later life and descriptions of the functions of each resource, and staffing benchmarks for specialized seniors’ mental health services. 

Part III: Facilitators of a Comprehensive Mental Health Service System discusses the mechanisms that facilitate a comprehensive mental health service system, including recommendations about cultural safety, diversity, the role of caregivers and service delivery models.

The Guideline webpage  includes the Guidelines in PDF format as well as an interactive version.
http://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/Pages/MHCC_Seniors_Guidelines.aspx