National Guidelines for Seniors' Mental Health

The Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health (CCSMH) was established in 2002 with the mission to promote the mental health of seniors by connecting people, ideas and resources. The CCSMH is proud to have been able to facilitate the development of clinical guidelines. These are the first interdisciplinary, national best practices guidelines to specifically address key areas of seniors' mental health. Delirium is a common and serious condition encountered in older persons and should be considered a medical emergency. The outcomes of delirium can be catastrophic to the older individual and their family. Based on available evidence, the CCSMH delirium guideline provides recommendations on: prevention; detection, assessement, diagnosis and monitoring; managment (non-pharmacological & pharmacological); legal, ethical, research issues; education; and systems of care