Suicide rates and risk increase with age. Older people are heavy users of in-home services. Many of the reasons that older adults need home care are serious risk factors for suicide. These include disability, physical illness, and other conditions that affect self-sufficiency. Home care providers are well positioned to identify elder suicide risk. This requires some understanding of suicidal behavior, the key risk factors for suicide in elders, the warning signs, and what to do if suicidality is encountered. The suicide prevention field has not recognized home care as a means of reaching suicidal elders. It is critical that this be corrected as elder suicides stand to rise as the elder population increases.
Managers must know as much as possible about telehealth and its uses in home care. This article gives an overview of the technology and how it is changing home care practice and management.
Although home care and hospice patients are admitted with many primary and secondary diagnoses, the importance of identifying elders with the potential for suicide should still be uppermost in the professional's assessment and ongoing evaluation. This article has given many specific suggestions for professionals and organizations to consider and implement in addressing this important problem.
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