Older people and mental health

The resources listed below are about how housing related services can respond to the needs of older people with specific mental health problems.

They include items about older people with 'functional' mental health problems such depression as schizophrenia but not dementia (which is sometimes described as 'organic').

Unravelling the Links between Housing Quality and Mental Health: It’s in our DNA

This blog by Faye Sanders, Doctoral Researcher at the University of Bath, explores the relationship between housing quality and health, focusing on how poor housing conditions can impact mental health through biological pathways like DNA methylation.

All the lonely people

The Mental Health Foundation have released a new report - “All the lonely people” – as part of Mental Health Awareness Week 2022 which focusses on loneliness. The report explores what it’s like to be lonely: its causes, consequences and the groups of people who are more likely to experience severe and enduring loneliness. It features the stories of nine individuals who experience loneliness.

Tackling the mental health pandemic through access to digital services

This Housing LIN guest blog to coincide with this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, features the #meinmind service and how Clarion residents access the Togetherall platform, an online community where members can anonymously support each other and share their problems at any time of day.

The impact of the pandemic on the mental health of people in Later Life Housing and how connecting with nature can be supportive post lockdown

This Housing LIN guest blog highlights the focus of Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 and draws attention to the Mental Health Foundation's Standing Together project in Wales.

Mentally aware - shining a light on loneliness and isolation as we come out of lockdown

To coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week, today we publish a guest blog by the Housing LIN's Dementia co-lead, Katey Twyford. She asks what the 'new normal' will be for extra care housing residents, both those with dementia and/or experiencing increased anxiety and depression and additional feelings of loneliness and social isolation post COVID-19.

Body Image: Leading A Life Class

Why was a life class chosen for the launch of the Standing Together Cymru Project?

Exploring how to develop effective services to reduce loneliness

This Housing LIN Viewpoint 96 explores best practice in developing effective services to reduce loneliness and provides six top tips for setting up new services.

Depression among older people living in care homes

A report looking at the incidence and treatment of people with depression living in care homes.

The Mental Health Foundation present their Standing Together project

The Standing Together project curated by the MHF is tackling isolation and isolation by providing group activities within supported housing settings.

Proposed NICE guideline - Older people: independence and mental wellbeing

This document promotes a surveillance review by NICE of their guidelines NG32 and PH16 Mental wellbeing in over 65s: occupational therapy and physical activity interventions.

A Practice Primer on Mental Health in Older People

This summary of mental health problems in older people, which are not directly related to physical illness or brain disease, underlines the risk primary care professionals take when attributing symptoms to ‘old age’ or considering the patients’ situation as futile.

Mental Health Dashboard

The Department of Health have published a 'dashboard' which rings together mental health outcomes data to show progress made against the objectives set out in their 2011 strategy, 'No health, without...

No health without mental health: implementation framework

This framework includes a section highlighting what housing organisations can do to support people with mental health problems and housing needs. In particular, it states housing service commissioners...

No Health without mental health

Published in 2011, 'No health without mental health' is a cross-government strategy that sets a clear and compelling vision for improving mental health and wellbeing in England.

Extra care housing options & older people with functional mental health problems

Factsheet No15 - An overview of developing and managing extra care housing for people with mental illness. Focus on older people who have a long-standing functional mental health problem such as depression,...

Suffolk extra care/functional mental health needs design and management guide

Published by Suffolk County Council this guide covers the specific design features expected of extra care provision for older people with functional mental health needs. The guide has quality of life,...

Making the difference - reducing the social exclusion of OP with mental health problems

Published by hact this report describes 5 projects that were set up to reduce the social exclusion of older people with mental health problems. All of the projects included housing advocacy plus a variety...

An Introduction to the Mental Health of Older People

These e-learning resources are freely available to all users and, through audio, video and interactive uses of technology, aim to raise awareness of key issues, research, messages, policies and approaches...