---

This website has been created as the final assignment for AGHE 821: Aging and Mental Health. This course is apart of the Master of Science in Aging and Health program offered through Queen’s University.

The purpose of this website is to review how (governing and organizational) health policies relate to older adults and their mental health.  As health is a provincially mandated discipline, I suspect there will be differences in how mental health policy is broadcasted and implemented across provinces, and possibly absent in the literature. This blog will take special note of social principles, and practice guidelines for working with older adults experiencing normal and abnormal mental health.

Why was this topic chosen?

I wanted to create a project that was relevant for me in relation to where I live, as many of colleagues in this course are located in Ontario. Furthermore, I hope that I can draw attention to my insight in this topic if I were to seek employment in a policy-related field.

Why is mental health policy an important issue?

Policy is an important issue in the lives of older adults who experience both normal and abnormal mental health issues, because policy should be designed to support people. Yet often times, policy lacks consultation from the target population. I hope this blog clarifies how connected our experiences are to policy.

What insights have I had from this blogging process?

It has been interesting to discover how siloed our health systems (and consequently mental health systems) are. There are unique initiatives and integrated health systems throughout the country, but they are not widely implemented. Having health mandated from our provincial jurisdictions seems to be both a strength (less bureaucracy relative to federal government) and a barrier (not standardized among provinces, ex: Ontario’s Metal Health Act differs from Alberta’s).

Disclaimer

It is important to note that the research for this blog had limited access to published policy documents. After reviewing grey literature, publications and consulting key informants for anecdotal information – the following blog post demonstrates my perspective on this topic.