Elderly Mental Health

What is Mental Health?

Mental health is our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act (1). Mental health affects people at all stages of life, and they should be supported no matter what and get help. Approximately 15% of adults aged 60 and over have a mental health disorder (2).

Mental Health Effects on the Elderly 

In the United States, only about 1.5 million older adults live in nursing homes, and 1 million live in assisted living. The other 33.4 older adults live in the community (3).  On average older people spend up to 90% of their time indoors, at home (4).  One factor that can increase poor mental health in the elderly living in nursing homes is the air quality in the buildings. Unfortunately, the legislation does not regulate indoor air quality in nursing homes; thus, it is rarely monitored (5). It is essential to create a comfortable living environment for the elderly living in senior citizen housing and their homes because it is necessary for their well-being and mental health (6).

The elderly living in senior citizen residential housing perform most of their daily activities in a built environment. If the indoor environment is unsafe, it can affect their physical, cognitive, and mental health. Creating a comfortable indoor environment can significantly improve mental health. Some factors that affect mental health are temperature, humidity, lighting, acoustic comfort, PM2.5, and VOCs (7).   

RadGreen is Here to Help 

Studies have shown that 46% of elderly participants indicated that air purification measures were important factors or a necessity in deciding where to live. They would likely choose a facility where they prioritize good indoor ventilation (8).  RadGreen can provide a tool to help you understand how to improve your indoor space to mitigate hazardous environmental factors—ensuring a healthy and safe environment for everyone in senior facilities. 

Resources

1https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health 
2 https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-of-older-adults 
3https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK51841/ 
4https://www.airnow.gov/sites/default/files/2020-02/ahbe-english-100-f-09-045.pdf 
5 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33401060/
6 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.860976/full#B3 
7https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/FEBE-09-2021-0043/full/pdf?title=effects-of-built-environment-on-healing-the-mental-health-of-the-peopleliterature-review 
8https://www.mcknightsseniorliving.com/home/columns/marketplace-columns/the-importance-of-indoor-air-quality-for-prospective-residents-of-senior-living/