ABSTRACT
Mental health (MH) conditions are common among older adults in the US, and they occur at similar rates among rural and urban residents. In the now-familiar referral model, an off-site geropsychiatrist or MH clinician becomes the geriatric mental health (GMH) provider for patients at rural health facilities, using telemedicine technologies to offer services such as psychiatric medication management or psychotherapy. To address current rural GMH needs and prepare for future challenges, rural stakeholders may wish to explore service delivery models to connect rural elders with GMH specialists in distant locations. By sharing their expertise with rural colleagues who conduct interventions, GMH specialists in distant locations can increase their population impact, enhancing GMH access and quality for older adults in underserved, rural communities. Further research is needed to better understand the factors influencing the effectiveness, cost implications, limitations, feasibility, and sustainability of telemedicine referral and task-sharing models for GMH service provision in rural populations.
