title: Exploring the role of the mental health nurse in community mental health care for the aged.
abstract: There is currently considerable discussion about the impact of the aging population on the demand for health care services, however there is considerably less attention paid to the impact of mental health issues on the needs of the aged population. Nurses comprise the largest professional group within the mental health workforce in Australia. The availability of a high quality mental health nursing workforce will therefore be crucial to meeting the health needs of aging clients in the future, accompanied by an increased pressure to increase the proportion of care delivered in the community. There is however, a paucity of literature on the role and contribution of community mental health nurses specialising in the aged care field. The aim of this paper is to present the findings of a project designed to examine the role of mental health nursing within aged persons' community mental health teams in Victoria, Australia, with particular emphasis on the biopsychosocial interventions used. Fifteen participants from three community mental health services in Victoria participated in a focus group interview to share their insights and experiences. Data analysis revealed two main themes, the role of the nurse, and the specific functions of the nurse. This data is presented as a beginning contribution to the paucity of literature currently available in this important area.
authors.affiliation: Aged Persons Mental Health Program, NorthWestern Mental Health, Sunshine Hospital, St. Albans, Australia.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Garlick
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Happell
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016903:Drug Monitoring / Q000451:nursing; D017144:Focus Groups; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005852:Geriatric Psychiatry / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D016294:Models, Nursing; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology*; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology; D009742:Nursing Theory; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014218:Triage; D014739:Victoria