Unmet Needs of Abandoned Older Adults With Mental Disorders in Institutional Care

Background The global population aged 60 years and older reached 1.1 billion in 2023, with approximately 14% experiencing mental disorders. In Indonesia, data from the Ministry of Health’s Basic Health Research (Riskesdas) indicate the prevalence of emotional mental disorders among individuals aged 55–64 years (11.0%), 65–74 years (12.8%), and 75 years or older (15.8%). Older adults with mental disorders are particularly vulnerable to abandonment. In such cases, institutional care is provided by government-supported facilities such as Tresna Werdha Nursing Homes. Aims & Objectives This study aims to assess the needs of abandoned older adults with mental disorders, explore discrepancies in perceptions of those needs between residents and care providers, and examine their association with the individuals' quality of life. Method The needs of 50 abandoned older adults with mental disorders in the nursing home were evaluated using Indonesian Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly (CANE). Cohen’s kappa coefficient was utilized to evaluate the agreement between the perceptions of residents and care providers concerning their needs. Correlation between the needs and quality of life analyzed using the cross-sectional quantitative analytical method. Quality of life's measurements used the Indonesian WHOQoL-BREF. Results Differences in perception between abandoned older adults with mental disorders and care providers were identified in the areas of accommodation, daytime activities, continence, behavior, and company. There is a correlation between self-care and the physical health domain (p ≤ 0.05). Looking after the home/self-care/memory/psychological distress/money correlating to the psychological domain (p ≤ 0.05). Food/self-care correlating to the social relationship domain (p ≤ 0.05). The needs related to psychotic symptoms/information/money or budgeting correlating to the environmental domain (p ≤ 0.05). There is a statistically significant correlation between the number of needs and the quality of life in the psychological domain (p ≤ 0.05). Discussion & Conclusions Program development to meet the needs of this marginalized population should be guided by a comprehensive and in-depth needs assessment.