Calgary program to ease mental illness stress for seniors after returning from hospital

Some Calgary seniors with mental illness now have access to expanded treatment options with a program that is a first in the province.

Health officials say going home after a hospital treatment can be too stressful for some seniors living with mental illness.

Kerby Centre CEO Luanne Whitmarsh says to help with the transition there's a program to continue treatment as those seniors make the move beyond acute care.

"The goal is for these people to be in their own place and so it depends on where they are in the referral process, where they are in their recovery and they will be moving on from there," Whitmarsh said.

There are spaces for 10 seniors at a cost of $900,000 a year.

But an official with Alberta Health Services says it's an investment that could actually save money by reducing return trips to the hospital.

"If somebody is here who's in the beds that are more allocated to elder abuse or homelessness concerns, and those folks have mental health difficulties, we have the opportunities to intervene here a little bit earlier," Julie Kerr said.

She said if the program is a success, it could be rolled out to other parts of the province.

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