Aged person mental health services (65 years+)
These services are primarily for people with a longstanding mental illness who have grown older, and those who have developed illnesses such as depression and psychoses in later life. They also provide treatment and care for people with psychiatric or severe behavioural difficulties associated with organic disorders such as dementia.
The Aged Persons Mental Health Service (APMHS) provides specialist assessment and treatment for aged persons with a mental illness, living in the Loddon/ Campaspe/ Southern Mallee.
Services to the local area include:
-- Assessment and referral to: acute inpatient; residential and non-residential rehabilitation; and other generic health services
-- Case management
-- Crisis assessment and treatment
-- Mobile intensive support
-- Clinical interventions and treatments.
Additional important components of the services are:
-- Mental health education to carer and community groups
-- Mental health promotion
-- Consultation and liaison with other health workers and agencies
-- Outreach to smaller, more remote centres.
The APMHS provides specialist assessment and treatment through a multi disciplinary team. The service has two main components:
-- A community based service.
The community service provides home based comprehensive assessments of those in the community experience a mental illness. Building on the community based assessment this incorporates residential facilities and Acute and Sub-acute service where the team provides specialist Aged Mental Health expertise. This is 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.
-- Inpatient facility at Bendigo
The APMHS also provides a specialist purpose built inpatient facility located at the Anne Caudle campus. The inpatient service is fully equipped to provide treatment of acute mental health issue. This unique facility also provides a comprehensive inpatient dementia assessment service. This service provide assessment of physical and behavioural aspects of dementia, with the development of comprehensive management plans to assist in the client being managed at home or in generic aged care facility.
Hours of operation: Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm.