Older people who self-harm: the added complication of comorbidities

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In her debut blog, Pooja Saini summarises a recent qualitative study that explored access to care for older adults who self-harm. The blog contains some excellent recommendations for primary care professionals and policy-makers.

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Music to reduce anxiety and increase comfort among older people in care homes

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Hilary Shepherd appraises and summarises a recent Turkish randomised controlled trial, which explores the effect that music can have on the comfort and anxiety levels of older adults living in a nursing home.

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Too much TV is associated with decline in verbal memory

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Sarah Gregory summarises findings from a large dataset analysis which explores the relationship between watching television and later cognitive decline.

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Depression in later life: healthcare professionals’ views about referrals and management

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Alison McKinlay summarises a literature review of qualitative research exploring healthcare professionals’ views of depression in later life, which highlights the quandaries faced by healthcare professionals in primary care, particularly in areas where funding and access to services are limited.

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Museums on prescription for socially isolated older adults #LetsTalkMentalHealthII

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Nuala Morse writes a #LetsTalkMentalHealthII blog about a museum-based social prescription intervention on quantitative measures of psychological wellbeing in older adults.

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Continuity of care: a luxury or need?

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LucÍa Almazán Sánchez and Derek Tracy appraise a new paper in the British Journal of Psychiatry on continuity of care and clinical outcomes in the community for people with severe mental illness.

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Self-harm in older adults: a forgotten group?

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Karen Birnie, Haridha Pandian and Derek Tracy summarise a recent systematic review in the British Journal of Psychiatry on self-harm in older adults.

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The costs of care prior to institutionalisation among people living with Alzheimer’s disease

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The past few decades have seen a gradual shift of provision of services for older people from residential care to community-based care in the UK and other high-income countries. ‘Ageing in place’ is a widely accepted and supported discourse. In practice, receiving care at home enables older people to stay in a familiar environment, and [read the full story…]

Low dose Amisulpride for very late onset schizophrenia-like psychosis: the ATLAS study

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Elwira Lubos summarises the recent ATLAS RCT of antipsychotic treatment for very late-onset schizophrenia-like psychosis, which provides evidence for the effectiveness of a very low dose of Amisulpride (100 mg).

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