ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the the importance of giving attention to the needs of individuals who care for older people with mental health problems. Old age and older people are frequently characterised by negative imagery. From the 1990s onwards we have seen residualisation of the welfare state in providing for old age with consequent scapegoating of older people as a drain on society. It need to steer a balanced course between pathologising older people, while at the same time being informed about mental distress that may be associated with longevity. Older people with depression are likely to visit their general practitioner more frequently, sometimes with multiple physical problems that have no apparent explanation, leading to pejorative characterisations by doctors as frequent flyers'. The most common form of mental disorder that older people with enduring mental health problems present is schizophrenia, though some people persist with experiencing bipolar affective disorder late into their lives.
