Ms R?is?n Clarke:

I will add to that. I agree with the points that have been made. The life span or life cycle approach is embedded throughout our policy language and we speak about it but it is only really effective if we follow right through for the entire life cycle. We are falling very short in mental health services for older people in the community, in primary care and in acute services. We need to look at loneliness and its impact in context and at the significant affect that deteriorating physical health has on an older person’s mental health. We really need to look at this matter in a very holistic manner in terms of the integration of services. Services need to talk to each other. It is crucially important that out in the community, social care and healthcare professionals are trained in how to identify mental health issues in older people because the dots are not being connected and people are not being diagnosed and they are suffering as a result.