Psychogeriatric Service Delivery An International Perspective

Older people now make up more than 50% of hospital populations, and place a huge financial burden on healthcare providers. Yet the number of older people with mental health problems is likely to increase still further in the coming years. In spite of this, mental health services for older people have been slow to develop in many places - in some countries they haven't developed at all. As the 'baby boom' generations of the post World War II period reach retirement, the need to address future delivery of psychogeriatric services in an effective and efficient manner is urgent.