Characteristics of mental health and substance use service facilities for older adults: Findings from U.S. national surveys

Choi, Namkee G.; DiNitto, Diana M.

doi:10.1080/07317115.2020.1862381

Cited by 15Psychiatric care and mental health servicesMental Health Treatment and AccessGeriatric Care and Nursing Homes

Characteristics of mental health and substance use service facilities for older adults: Findings from U.S. national surveys

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Choi, Namkee G., DiNitto, Diana M.·2022·Clinical Gerontologist

DOI 10.1080/07317115.2020.1862381PMC PMC11143471

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OBJECTIVES: To describe the characteristics of U.S. mental health and substance use service programs dedicated/tailored for older adults (age 65+). METHODS: and Fisher's exact tests, we compared the numbers/proportions of older-adult programs in 2012 and 2019 and examined differences between facilities with or without an older-adult program in 2019. RESULTS: From 2012 to 2019, the percent of all mental health and substance use service facilities for adults that had a dedicated/tailored program for older adults increased significantly, from 20.7% to 28.9% for mental health facilities and from 7.1% to 24.8% for substance use facilities, with 101 mental health facilities and 53 substance use facilities serving older adults exclusively in 2019. Compared to facilities without an older-adult program, higher percentages of facilities with such a program offered treatment for co-occurring mental and substance use disorders and supplemental health and social care services. CONCLUSIONS: Given the rapidly aging society, more accessible and affordable programs dedicated/tailored for older adults are needed. To achieve this goal and better meet older adults' needs, more detailed data on facility characteristics are needed to build the knowledge base on improving the treatment environment. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Programs for older adults should be designed to meet the complex needs of those with mental health and/or substance use problems and incorporate innovative service delivery models that can improve older adults' access.

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In 2019, approximately 60% of USA mental health service facilities provided substance use treatment.
“A study of the characteristics of the USA mental health and substance use service facilities in 2019 found that approximately 60% of mental health service facilities provided substance use treatment [21].”
From Treatment Use Among U.S. Adults with a Substance Use Disorder: Associations with Symptom Severity, Problem Self-Perception, Comorbid Mental Illness, and Mental Health Treatment (2025) · cites this paper as [21]

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Authors: Choi, N. G., & DiNitto, D. M.
Affiliations: The University of Texas at Austin (US)
Corresponding author: Choi, Namkee G.
ORCID: Choi, Namkee G.
DiNitto, Diana M.
Venue: Clinical Gerontologist
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Published: 2020-12-27
Volume: 45
Issue: 2
Pages: 338-350
ISSN: 0731-7115 (ISSN-L)
1545-2301
DOI: 10.1080/07317115.2020.1862381
PMC: PMC11143471
OpenAlex: W3116473432
Cited by: 15
References: 30
Citations by year: 2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3
FWCI: 0.70
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Locations: Clinical Gerontologist (publishedVersion, public-domain)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders: not receive funding
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychiatric care and mental health services
Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Geriatric Care and Nursing Homes
Keywords: older adults, mental health services, substance use services, co-occurring mental and substance use disorders, population aging, access to mental health care, service delivery models
MeSH terms: Aged, Hospitals, Psychiatric, Humans, Mental Health, Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse Treatment Centers, Substance-Related Disorders

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Characteristics of mental health and substance use service facilities for older adults: Findings from U.S. national surveys

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