Mental Health Services Required for Older People in Ireland

The Faculty of Psychiatry of Old Age in Ireland has been advocating for the development of Mental Health Services for Older People as envisaged in the Model of Care1 under the national HSE Integrated Clinical Programme for Older People (ICPOP), published in 2019. However, the pace of development has been very slow and insufficient to meet the challenges posed by the demographic shift and an ageing population.

This Psychiatry of Old Age (POA) faculty position paper highlights the need to develop these services in tandem with other services for older persons if the goals of integration and meeting the complex needs of this patient population are to be achieved.