Senators Mikulski and Collins Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Mental Health Services for Seniors

Press Release

U.S. Senators Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) and today introduced The Positive Aging Act of 2010 to improve access to mental health services for our nation's seniors. The bill will help increase older Americans' access to quality mental health screening and treatment services in community-based care settings.

"I believe "honor thy mother and father' is not only a good commandment to live by, it's also a good policy to govern by," Senator Mikulski said. "The Positive Aging Act does just that. America's seniors need a government that is on their side to ensure access to innovative and comprehensive mental health services, and Senator Collins and I are working to make sure it does."

"This legislation is particularly important for states like Maine that have a disproportionate number of seniors. Our bill will help promote the mental health and well-being of our seniors, and help ensure that they have access to the services and treatment that they need," said Senator Collins.

Studies have shown that more than one in five Americans aged 65 and older experience mental illness and that as many as 80 percent of elderly persons in nursing homes suffer from some kind of mental impairment. Particularly disturbing is the fact that the mental health needs of seniors are often overlooked or not recognized because of the mistaken belief that they are a normal part of aging and therefore cannot be treated.

Moreover, those who do seek help are often underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed, leading the National Institute of Mental Health to estimate that 60 percent of older Americans with depression are not receiving the mental health care that they need. Failure to treat this kind of disorder leads to poorer health outcomes for other medical conditions, higher rates of institutionalization, and increased health care costs.

Fortunately, important research is being done to develop innovative approaches to improve the delivery of mental health care for older adults by integrating it into primary care settings. The Positive Aging Act builds upon this research and authorizes funding for projects that integrate mental health screening and treatment services into community sites and primary care settings.

The legislation has been endorsed by a several mental health and senior organizations, including the Alzheimer's Association, the American Geriatrics Society, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

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