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 revisions to the curricula necessary to include a stronger focus on the identification of and management of behavioral disorders in the long-term care population. In conducting that review, the Department of Health and Human Services and the work group shall consider the creation of a specialized behavioral health certification for certified nursing assistants; and
3. Review and make recommendations concerning other information regarding the needs of persons over 60 years of age, including, but not limited to, a review of the following:
A. Information regarding minimum data set data on the use of psychotropics in all long-term care facilities;
B. The number of hospitalizations due to psychiatric or behavioral episodes, including the referral setting;
C. The number of adult protective service intakes related to mental health and behavioral issues and their outcomes;
D. The number and type of consultations performed by Department of Health and Human Services behavioral consultants, including trends, characteristics and outcomes;
E. Mental health services provided through MaineCare by diagnosis for persons over 60 years of age;
F. The number of consent decree clients with dementia and the number of persons with mental retardation and developmental disabilities over 60 years of age; and
G. Information regarding spending for geriatric mental health services; and be it further
Sec. 3. Report. Resolved: That the Department of Health and Human Services and the Joint Advisory Committee on Select Services for Older Persons shall jointly submit a report on the issues identified in sections 1 and 2, including recommendations and suggested legislation, to the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services by January 14, 2006.
Effective September 17, 2005.
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