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18
Apr
2019
North Coast Primary Health Network (NCPHN) is pleased to announce funding by the Australian Government to support residents of North Coast aged care facilities to receive mental health services where they live.
Funding of $2.58m over three years will enable NCPHN to put in place psychological treatment services to meet the needs of people living in residential aged care. The funding acknowledges that moving into an aged care home can be stressful and may cause depression and anxiety; and that residents already living in aged care may be experiencing depression and/or anxiety.
For some time now, GPs and other health professionals have been concerned about the barriers that aged care residents experience in receiving mental health treatment. For a resident to get a cab to and from a health provider can be expensive and inconvenient. This in-house program is the beginning of a change in improving the mental health and emotional wellbeing of aged care residents, where aged care residents have access to mental health services where they live.
An initial trial will take place until June 30 this year in a small number of North Coast aged care facilities. Following this, psychological services will be rolled out across the region’s participating residential aged care facilities over the next three years.
The new program will:
NCPHN’s Senior Manager, Mental Health, Suicide Prevention, Alcohol & Other Drugs, Liz Davis, outlined the benefits for aged care residents.
“Providing psychological services within aged care facilities will results in residents experiencing mood improvements, less anxiety and stress, and will support them to cope with life changes.
“It’s expected that residents with mental health issues will also be more likely to engage in activities and connecting socially when they receive the appropriate treatment for their needs,” she said.
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Launch of the Tweed Byron Suicide Prevention Action Plan
Contact for media enquiries
Liz Davis - NCPHN Senior Manager, Mental Health, Suicide Prevention, Alcohol & Other Drugs
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0428 802 148