Abstract
After the 1995 Swedish psychiatric reform, people with SMI age in the community instead of institutions. However, there is a huge lack of knowledge about their living situation. The aim of the study is to investigate living conditions, social networks, health and care of older people with SMI (SMI-O) in comparison to other older people. For this analysis, we use descriptive statistical analysis to compare groups of older persons from two samples: 1) inventories of people with SMI, conducted every fifth year in one Swedish municipality from 1996 to 2011 (SMI-O) and 2) population-based study of older people, conducted in the same municipality with similar questions (OCTO-2). The mean ages in the groups were similar (SMI-E: 76; OCTO-2: 78) but the distribution of men and women differed (35/65%; 48/52%) as did the proportion of persons living alone (83%; 48%). The samples had similar frequencies in social contacts (51%; 52%) but SMI-E reported significantly more problems in performing personal and instrumental daily activities. As SMI-E is a vulnerable group compared to older people in general, understanding their support needs is required.
Presenters
Cristina Joy TorgéMarie Ernsth Bravell
Per Bülow
Monika Wilinska
Pia Helena Bülow
Magnus Jegermalm
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Public Policy and Public Perspectives on Aging
KEYWORDS
public-policy, community-support, mental-health