Older adults are among the most underserved patients in psychiatric care. Their symptoms are normalized, their medication needs are misunderstood, and the psychiatric dimension of cognitive decline is frequently overlooked in the rush to address the cognitive changes themselves.

I've spent a significant part of my career working directly with older adults — in skilled nursing facilities, in long-term care settings, and now in telehealth — and what I know from that experience is that psychiatric intervention at this stage of life makes a real difference.

Not just for the resident, but for the family members and caregivers trying to support them. Treating depression, anxiety, and behavioral symptoms in an older adult doesn't turn back time. But it can meaningfully improve the quality of the time they have — and the quality of life of everyone around them.

Darla Dane, PMHNP-BC Board-Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner