Health education factsheet on mental health in the elderly

Abstract

Health promotion has a crucial role in healthy aging. An important factor for maintaining independence and quality of life of older people is good mental health. To ensure mental health of the elderly, it is important to know the factors that may influence it, in order to promote interventions that include them, intervene on them and prove to be effective. Based on the document “Healthy Ageing – a challenge for Europe”, this study aimed to discuss some determinants of mental health in the elderly, relate them to mental health promotion programs and assess their effectiveness. To this end, 10 scientific articles related to the topic of effectiveness of mental health promotion programs among the elderly were analyzed. The evidence showed that, to ensure effectiveness, the elderly mental health promotion programs should take into account the factors that influence the mental state of their recipients, must meet the needs of the target audience, and should include an evaluation of their process. The findings of this study led to the development of a document designated as a “health education page”, which contains clear and simple information about the topic of the promotion of mental health in the elderly, specifically regarding the caregiver’s health. This document is intended to be a useful instrument for elderly people, caregivers, and professionals.