National Legal Support for Elderly People with Mental Disabilities. Enforcing theRights of Older People with Mental Disabilities. Volume 3. Rights to Community-Based Services for Elders with Mental Disabilities. The Impact of PASARR. At Home: Strategies f

摘要

The Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law seeks to conduct anational legal assistance project to train advocates in both the aging and mental health communities to help meet the needs of elders with mental disabilities. The ultimate goal of this work is to ensure that the rights of elders with mental health needs to safe and appropriate care in institutions and community-based placements are protected and enforced. Between four and eight million people over the age of 65 have serious mental disabilities. Approximately 700,000 are confined in institutional settings, in nursing homes and psychiatric hospitals. Many of these individuals can live safely wih supports that strengthen their individual capabilities in less restrictive settings. However, community-based alternatives for elders with mental health needs are poorly understood and inadequately financed. Legal protections that ensure access to community-based services and guarantee appropriate services exist to better serve elders with mental disabilities. Aging and mental health advocates need to know what these legal tools are so that they can help to secure their access to safe and appropriate care both in institutions and in the community.