Does identification of depression affect community long-term care services ordered for older adults?

Given the increasing push for professionals in non-mental health settings to detect and respond to the mental health needs of vulnerable populations, this article examines whether the identification of depression influences service authorization in a publicly funded community long-term care (CLTC) setting. Using interview and case record data for 533 older, Medicaid-funded CLTC clients, the authors tested how CLTC workers' notation of depression affected CLTC service orders, controlling for other competing demands and sociodemographic factors. Although identification of depression was not related to orders for personal care or homemaker services, it did increase the likelihood of nursing services being ordered. This finding suggests that CLTC services might act as a gateway to provide other needed medical and mental health care, as indicated by prior literature, and as an avenue to trigger further clinical assessments from nurses. Structured screening of clients and increased training of practitioners on depression may improve the detection of mental disorders for social services clients and the ability of the system to respond.