First Clinical Guidelines to Address Anxiety in Older Adults Developed by the Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health Français
A group of multidisciplinary leading subject matter experts across Canada in the field of anxiety disorders in older adults and a lived experience group have collaborated with the Canadian Coalition for Seniors Mental Health (CCSMH) to develop the first-ever clinical guidelines for anxiety in older Canadians.
TORONTO, Jan. 25, 2024 /CNW/ - Canadian health care providers now have access to clinical tools and resources they need to better support older adults at risk of or living with anxiety. Produced by the CCSMH and led by geriatric psychiatrist Dr. Andrea Iaboni (associate professor at the University of Toronto) and psychologist Dr. Sébastien Grenier (associate professor at the Université de Montréal), the Canadian Guidelines for the Assessment and Treatment of Anxiety in Older Adults provides evidence-based recommendations for the prevention, assessment, diagnosis and treatment of anxiety in seniors. Older adults will also benefit from a variety of resources, including this pamphlet about anxiety in older adults developed to inform them of the symptoms and treatments of anxiety and when they should seek help from a health care professional.
Discover the new guidelines and resources empowering health care professionals, older adults and care partners nationwide.
Anxiety disorders represent the most common mental health problem across the lifespan, including in late life. Every year, 18 percent of older Canadians experience symptoms of anxiety or depression that they find difficult to cope with. Clinical guidelines and resources to best support older adults' mental health are increasingly important to meet the needs of our aging demographic. Dr. Iaboni emphasizes that "These evidence-based clinical practice guidelines have the potential to improve care by increasing awareness of best practices and promoting a more consistent delivery of quality mental health services for older adults across Canada." Addressing the stigma around aging and mental health and empowering older adults to take steps to support their mental health and well-being is also an important goal of this project. "Part of our work at CCSMH is also making best practice information readily accessible and easy to understand for older adults, care partners and the general public. We develop tools and resources to help them (or a loved one) connect with their health care providers and make informed decisions," explains Claire Checkland, executive director at CCSMH. "Anxiety is not a normal part of aging and misconceptions about anxiety in older adults have led to it being underrecognized and undertreated. It is a treatable mental health condition and evidence-based interventions exist and can be helpful" shares Dr. Grenier.
- Over the next 20 years, Canada's seniors population — those age 65 and older — is expected to grow by 68%.
- 6 percent of older Canadians have a diagnosed anxiety disorder with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and phobias being the most common.
- Anxiety has a negative impact on other aspects of health, including increasing the risk of heart disease and dementia.
- Mental illness is not a normal part of aging. All seniors deserve, and have the right to, receive services and care that promote their mental health and respond to their mental illness needs.
In September 2022, a Working Group was formed to develop and synthesize the guidelines. This group consists of multidisciplinary leading subject matter experts across Canada in the field of anxiety disorders in older adults. Members met monthly to advance this work by offering their clinical expertise, evaluating research evidence, voting on recommendations, and drafting the guidelines.
The guideline development process also included a bilingual Lived Experience Advisory Panel consisting of older adults across the country with anxiety or informal caregiving experience to older adults with anxiety. The personal experiences and expertise shared by our panel members played a key role in informing the development of these guidelines.
"In my experience in supporting older adults as a volunteer with local organizations and a caregiver to older family members, I have witnessed the gaps in our health care system to address and support mental illness in older adults. These new resources provided by CCSMH are crucial to help support care partners and my well-being as an older adult."
Francine Quenneville, retired (Member, Lived Experience Advisory Panel)
Board Member, Elliot Lake Palliative Care Program
Volunteer, Elliot Lake French Seniors Club
"As someone who has lived through the challenges of anxiety and depression, I truly value having access to various options to develop skills that can prevent, alleviate, or cope with episodic bouts of anxiety. It's essential to understand that anxiety is more than just feeling stressed; it involves disturbed feelings and thoughts, accompanied by physical and mental symptoms that can significantly impact one's ability to function. The introduction of these new guidelines and resources is truly invaluable, and my sincere hope is that they will continue to make a positive impact on individuals facing similar challenges."
T. Marshall (Member, Lived Experience Advisory Panel)
"These evidence-based guidelines provide primary care providers with a stepwise range of effective tools and therapies to detect, reduce the risk of and treat anxiety in older adults, including psychotherapy options for those who can access or deliver them."
Erica Weir, MD, MSc, CCFP, CoE, FRCPC (Member, Working Group)
Care of the Elderly and Public Health Physician
Assistant Professor, Departments of Public Health Sciences and Medicine, Queen's University
"Considering the health human resource shortages we are experiencing within the Canadian health care system, including those in primary and specialist care, it is clear that all health care professionals play a role in supporting the mental health of older adults. These guidelines will help all nurses across any setting to learn more about the specific signs and symptoms of anxiety in older adults and what they can do to help manage it. I will reference these guidelines in my classroom moving forward."
Carly Whitmore, RN, PhD, CPMHN (Member, Working Group)
Assistant professor, School of Nursing, McMaster University
"It is important that older adults know anxiety is an illness like any other. We should be talking about mental health and normalizing it in our conversations to help de-stigmatize, especially in long-term care settings. As a Social Worker in an educational role, these guidelines will help me work with teams to strengthen their ability in supporting older adults living with anxiety."
Heli Juola, MSW, RSW (Member, Working Group)
Social Worker, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
The Coalition's mission is to promote the mental health of older adults by connecting people, ideas and resources. The CCSMH is dedicated to advancing the mental well-being of older adults across all settings. As the sole national organization focusing on mental health for older adults, the Coalition is committed to nurturing and growing a coalition of organizations and individuals that, together, will shine a light on the issues surrounding mental health and well-being of older adults. The CCSMH began as a project of the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry (CAGP) and continues to operate with the CAGP Board of Directors oversight.
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SOURCE Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health
Johanne Albert-Cardinal, Manager, Communications, Canadian Coalition for Seniors Mental Health, [email protected], 613-271-2941
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