Mental health in old age: Challenges, nursing management, and possibilities for improvement in the Albanian healthcare system
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55312/op.v17i1.7245Abstract
Mental health problems among older adults in Albania are increasing due to population aging, social isolation, limited services, and under-resourced healthcare; this narrative review summarizes common conditions such as depression, dementia, and anxiety, discusses contributing factors, and emphasizes the central role of nurses in early detection, coordinated care, and family support, while proposing system-level recommendations to strengthen training, community services, and integrated policies for elderly mental health.Keywords:
mental health, older adults, nursing, dementia, depression, integrated care, Albania.Downloads
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References
1. World Health Organization (WHO).
Mental health of older adults. Geneva: WHO; 2017.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-of-older-adults
2. Prince, M., Bryce, R., Albanese, E., Wimo, A., Ribeiro, W., & Ferri, C. P. (2013). The global preva-lence of dementia: A systematic review and metaanalysis. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 9(1), 63-75.e2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2012.11.007
3. World Health Organization. (2015). World report on ageing and health. Geneva: WHO. https://www.who.int/ageing/events/world-report-2015-launch/en/
4. Alzheimer’s Disease International. (2019). World Alzheimer Report 2019: Attitudes to dementia. London: ADI.
https://www.alz.co.uk/research/world-report-2019
5. Kales, H. C., Gitlin, L. N., & Lyketsos, C. G. (2015). Assessment and management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. BMJ, 350, h369.
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h369
6. Fountoulakis, K. N., & Siamouli, M. (2016). Depression in the elderly: Diagnosis and management. Annals of General Psychiatry, 15, 3.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12991-016-0090-5
7. Gitlin, L. N., & Hodgson, N. (2015). Caregivers as therapeutic agents in dementia care: The evi-dence base. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 28(5), 381-387. https://doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0000000000000176
8. Albanese, E., Liu, Z., Acosta, D., Guerra, M., Huang, Y., Jacob, K., … & Prince, M. (2017). Esti-mates of the prevalence of dementia in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Neurology, 74(6), 708-715.
https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2017.0087
9. Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Albania. (2017). National Mental Health Strategy 2017-2022. Tirana: Ministry of Health.
10. World Health Organization. (2018). Integrating mental health into primary care: A global perspec-tive. Geneva: WHO. https://www.who.int/mental_health/policy/services/integratingmhintoprimarycare/en/
11. Sokolovsky, J., & Cohen, A. (2015). Geriatric mental health: Policy and services in international perspective. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 30(3), 215-217. https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.4157
12. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). (2020). Older Adults and Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/older-adults-and-mental-health
13. Gitlin, L. N., & Kales, H. C. (2017). Management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. The New England Journal of Medicine, 377, 2019-2029. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMcp1614701
14. World Health Organization. (2019). Mental health in older adults: Current status and future direc-tions. Geneva: WHO.
https://www.who.int/ageing/publications/mental-health-older-adults/en/
15. Demaio, A., Jamieson, J., Horn, R., de Courten, M., & Miranda, J. J. (2019). The role of primary health care in the management of mental health disorders in low- and middle-income countries. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 1149.



