A 2018 study by Professor Joseph Ibrahim and Monash University researcher Briony Murphy found there had been 140 suicides in Australian aged care homes between 2000 and 2013, prompting Ibrahim to call for regular screenings for depression in his submission to the Aged Care Royal Commission.
Of the 140 reported suicides, 70 percent were male, 66 percent had a diagnosis of depression, 43 percent were experiencing loneliness and 30 percent had trouble adjusting to life in an aged care facility.
Ibrahim told The Guardian that between a quarter to a third of depression cases go unrecognised and untreated.
“It’s more men that suicide than women and it’s often the ones that have just recently arrived in the last 12 months,” he said.
Ibrahim will also recommend to the Commission that facilities introduce ‘transition programs’ to help new residents adjust to life in an aged care facility.
Hear Professor Ibrahim speak at our LEADERS SUMMIT (21-22 March at the Hyatt Regency, Sydney). Register here.
