A continuum of care for older adults with mental health needs.

1. Primary care office or clinic – The number of visits per month depends on the needs of the older adult.  Visit is usually 10-45 minutes.  Person is typically in their own residence in the community.
2. Intensive case management – specially trained individuals coordinate or provide psychiatric, financial, legal, and medical services to help the older adult live successfully at home and in the community.
3. Home-based treatment services – a team of specially trained staff go into a home and develop a treatment program to help the older adult and their family (home health). 
4. Family support services – Services to help family/spouse care for their loved one such as care training, companion services and transportation.
5. Day treatment program – this intensive treatment program provides psychiatric treatment and physical care.  The older adult attends five days per week.
6. Partial hospitalization (day hospital) – This provides all the treatment services of a psychiatric inpatient hospital, but the patients go home each evening.
7. Emergency/crisis services – 24 hour per day services for emergencies (for example: mental health emergency services, hospital emergency room, mobile crisis team).
8. Respite care services – A patient stays briefly away from home with specially trained individuals (short-term stay at a long-term care facility or psychiatric hospital.
9. Therapeutic group home or community residence – This therapeutic program usually includes 6 to 10 older adults per home, and may be linked with a day treatment program or specialized health care.
10. Crisis residence – This setting provides short-term (usually fewer than 15 days) crisis intervention and treatment. Patients receive 24 hour per day supervision.
11. Long-term care facility – Nursing home or assisted living facility with psychiatric support services.
12. Hospital Treatment – Patient receives comprehensive psychiatric treatment in a hospital.  Treatment programs should be specifically designed for older adults and include comprehensive medical care.  Length of treatment depends on many different variables.