Jean A. Talbot, PhD, MPH • Andrew F. Coburn, PhD
Overview
To facilitate quality improvment efforts, more research is needed on the current status of mental health services in rural long-term care. Also needed are new tools promoting the targeted use of provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to address the mental health needs of rural long-term care (LTC) recipients. Over 10 million chronically disabled Americans require long-term services to assist them with activities of daily living.1 Mental health comorbidities are common in these long-term care populations. Inadequately treated, these conditions can become debilitating and costly. Yet our long-term care system often fails to deliver necessary mental health care to those it serves, especially in rural areas. In this brief, we explore novel practices that hold promise for enhancing mental health services in rural long-term care. We focus primarily on the needs of rural elders who reside either in nursing facilities or in their own homes in the community. Click here to read the full article by the Maine Rural Health Research Center.