The Aged Persons Mental Health Service provides specialist assessment and treatment for older people with a mental illness, living in the Loddon Campaspe/ Southern Mallee region. Assessment services also incorporate residential facilities and acute and subacute service where the team provides specialist Aged mental health expertise. The team provides management utilising a case management style of care provision with support from; consultant psychiatrist, psychiatric registrar, psychiatric nurses, psychologist, social and welfare worker. The service is closely aligned with the Aged Care Assessment Service to assist in generic aged care issues.

This service is provided to people aged 65 and over who:

• Have, or appear to have, a mental illness; and/or
• Exhibit behaviour that cannot be managed by other aged care services

In some cases indicated by clinical assessment, Aged Persons Mental Health Service will provide services to people aged under 65 years who exhibit symptoms of degenerative diseases associated with ageing such as pre-senile dementia or Alzheimer's disease. The Aged Persons Mental Health Service provides specialist assessment and treatment and has two main components:

• A home-based comprehensive assessment of those in the community experiencing a mental illness.  Building on the community-based assessment, this incorporates residential facilities and acute and subacute services where the team provides specialist aged mental health expertise.   The Aged Persons Mental Health Service utilises a case management style of care with support from specialist medical staff, psychiatric nurses, psychologists, and social workers.   The service works with the Aged Care Assessment Service to assist in general aged care issues for older people.
  
  
• An inpatient based service.  The Marjorie Phillips Unit is a specialist, purpose-built inpatient facility on the Anne Caudle Centre campus for older people with a mental illness.  The inpatient service is fully equipped to provide treatment of acute mental health issues.  This facility also provides a comprehensive and unique inpatient dementia assessment service.  Physical and behavioural aspects of dementia are assessed and then comprehensive management plans are developed so the client can be managed at home or in an aged care facility.

Referrals:

Referrals to Aged Persons Mental Health Service are via general practitioner, Aged Care Assessment Service, acute and sub-acute health services.

Service coverage:

The team is based in Bendigo with staff also located at Kyneton, Castlemaine, Swan Hill, Echuca & Maryborough.

Fees:

There is no fee charged for Aged Persons Mental Health Service community services.

Waiting list:

The waiting time from referral to an Aged Persons Mental Health Service assessment varies depending on priority of referrals.