Psychosocial Rehabilitation in Older Adults with Serious Mental Illness: A Review of the Research Literature and Recommendations for Development of Rehabilitative Approaches

The number of older adults with serious mental illness (SMI) is expected to increase dramatically in the coming decades. This group uses a disproportionate amount of mental health resources and is at high risk of institutionalization. There is an urgent need for effective psychosocial rehabilitation programs specifically designed to meet the special needs of this population. This article summarizes recent research in this area, including three new models of skills training. We also describe several other empirically supported approaches for the general population of people with SMI that may be tailored for use with older adults, including assertive community treatment, family and caregiver support, vocational rehabilitation, and medication adherence interventions. Finally, we consider new directions for research and service development to support the next generation of psychosocial interventions for the growing population of older adults with SMI.