Increased U.S. Funds Sought for Mental Health Care for Elderly

The American Psychological Assn., citing the alarming number of elderly with serious mental health problems, released a study Friday urging that federal block grants for overall mental health services be replaced by increased federal funding for specific programs, such as home visitation and psychological treatment.

Block grants actually have been used “as a device to cut back finances for mental health,” former U.S. Civil Rights Commission Chairman Arthur S. Flemming, who presented the report, charged at a news conference. “We are moving backward as a nation in the field of mental health.”

The report--based on surveys of and visits to more than 200 of the nation’s mental health centers--noted that as many as 25% of the elderly today have significant mental health problems, varying from severe depression to Alzheimer’s disease.

But it found that since the Reagan Administration’s mental health block grant program was enacted--cutting mental health funds from $549 million in 1980 to a low of $439 million in 1983--almost half of the centers surveyed have had to reduce services for the elderly.

Block grants lump funds for various programs into a single sum, which states may spend as they wish under general categories. Flemming, while advising that overall mental health funding be increased, urged that special attention be given to the needs of older Americans--many of whom fear seeking help in the first place.

Because of discrimination through “ageism,” even basic mental health care needs for the elderly have gone unmet in some states, argued Flemming, who is 79. In particular, he said, budget cuts have forced the cancellation of such programs as home visits by caseworkers, suicide prevention and psychological therapy.

“The federal government has got to establish standards, and only the federal government can see that those standards are enforced,” he said. “If we are going to move forward in providing adequate services in the field of mental health, we’ve got to get rid of the block grant program.”

The study was an outgrowth of the 1981 White House Conference on Aging.