SERVING OLDER ADULTS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS: A REVIEW OF APPROACHES TO CASE MANAGEMENT

by Tomsic, Rachel Ann

The purpose of this study is to explore how case management services are being provided to older adults with chronic and persistent mental illness, the challenges they face in providing those services, and whether or not there is an optimal approach to providing these services effectively and appropriately. Focus groups with case managers and interviews with program managers/team supervisors were conducted with five Ohio community-based mental health agencies. These mental health professionals were able to openly discuss the challenges they face as they struggle to provide effective, holistic, and appropriate services to older adults with chronic mental illness. The key findings to emerge from this study were the array of system challenges case managers encounter when providing mental health services.