CHAPTER 55

S.P. 171 - L.D. 545

Resolve, To Improve Procedures for Assessing the Mental

Health Services Needs of Older Individuals

Sec. 1. Recommend procedure to assess mental health needs of older persons; data collection. Resolved: That the Department of Health and Human Services shall recommend a procedure for the timely assessment of an older individual's need for mental health services. The recommendations must include an efficient, cost-effective data collection process to identify consumer needs for mental health services for older persons, regardless of the setting. Recommendations developed under this section must be undertaken in consultation with the work group convened in section 2 and must be included in the report required under section 3; and be it further

Sec. 2. Work group. Resolved: That the Department of Health and Human Services and the Joint Advisory Committee on Select Services for Older Persons shall, in consultation with other consumers, providers and advocates, form a work group and shall:

1. Review and make recommendations on a mental health assessment screen as part of the needs assessment of applicants for long-term care services;

2. In consultation with the State Board of Nursing and the Department of Education, review training curricula for direct care workers in all long-term care settings and recommend