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Suicide
risk for seniors moving into residential
homes
"While a move can represent a positive
change, all moves involve some degree of
loss," say Carol Podgorski from the
University of Rochester in New York and
colleagues in an article published this week
in PLoS
Medicine, and this can lead to heightened
risk for suicidal behavior.
Whether by choice or necessity, more older
adults are now living in residential homes.
And while the residences themselves are
designed to be appealing, the underlying
reasons that precipitate moving into a
residential home, as well as the ensuing
adjustment process, often result in stress
that can sometimes lead to suicidal
behavior.
Dr. Podgorski and colleagues lay out risk
factors for suicidal behavior in older
adults living in residential communities
including social factors (widowing, divorce,
substance abuse, loss, and family discord)
and medical factors such as increased
physical and psychotic illnesses.
The authors suggest ways that public health
systems and residential communities can
counter suicidal behavior in older adults
living within communal accommodation: "The
public health approach to suicide is
consistent with theories of aging in that it
calls for actions that aim to mitigate the
multiple, cumulative losses for which older
adults are at increased risk."
The authors conclude that "there is no
single blueprint for a suicide prevention
plan. It is incumbent upon each facility to
assess its own characteristics and resident
populations and to use that information to
set priorities and establish relevant
goals."
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