North Western Melbourne PHN
Introduction
Older Minds Mental Health Program for Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF)
The Older Minds Mental Health Program is a regional outreach service to RACFs in the Western Region of NWMPHN.
APMHA HealthCare Ltd. has been commissioned to provide Psychological Therapy Services (PTS) to support the mental health needs of people living in RACFs. This service allows residents of registered RACFs to access mental health services available to those in the community. Delivered by Psychologists, Mental Health Social Workers, Credentialed Mental Health Nurses, and Mental Health Occupational Therapists.
About the service
The service is for residents who are experiencing (or at risk of) mild to moderate mental health concerns. This may include residents who:
- require support to adjust to life in residential aged care
- experience grief, depression, anxiety, phobia or other mild to moderate conditions
- live with pre-existing mental health conditions that do not require ongoing or intensive support through psychogeriatric services.
This service also provides mental health training for aged care facility staff to enable timely identification of psychological distress in residents and appropriate referral.
Areas of service
The local government areas for Western region include: Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Melton, Maribyrnong, Moonee Valley, Wyndham, and Moorabool (Bacchus Marsh part).
Eligibilty
Residents of registered Residential Age Care Facilities within catchment area listed above.
How do I refer?
Referrals can be made by the resident’s GP, or a registered nurse of the facility, with the consent of the resident (or their next of kin).
These can then be securely faxed to APMHA’s Older Minds Team on:
Or alternatively, our APMHA Older Minds clinician is happy to work with your Facility staff to identify residents who may benefit from this service and complete the registration process each time they visit. APMHA aims to ensure that the referral process is easy for all.
How to contact our Older Minds Team
image: nwmphn