Nursing Care Needs of Older Adults Admitted with Mental Illness at a Tertiary Care Mental Health Institute

A BSTRACT Introduction: Mental health is a fundamental necessity which governs all the aspects of our life ranging from making decisions to performing activities of daily living (ADL). Older adults are more vulnerable to develop illness as compared to the individuals of other age group. Thus, assessing their needs will help in contributing toward knowing the areas that need to be addressed. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted at the inpatient department of the geriatric mental health unit of a tertiary care mental health institute in Northeast India. Nonexperimental descriptive research design was adopted in the study. A total of 30 participants were recruited through purposive sampling. Tools used for the assessment include sociodemographic pro forma, Katz ADL, Lawton–Brody instrumental ADL (IADL), and Nurses’ Observation Scale for Inpatient Evaluation (NOSIE) scale. Results: The study revealed that majority of the participants were independent in performing the ADL, while many of them struggled to meet their IADL and needed assistance. Significant association was found between the domain manifest psychosis of the tool NOSIE and medication adherence ( χ 2 = 5.662, P = 0.026). Conclusion: The needs of older adults may vary depending on their functionality as well as the severity of the illness. They are to be identified properly and addressed to promote health and carry a healthy lifestyle.