Males aged 85 years and over experience the highest rate of suicide1 across all age groups. In 2022, females aged 85 years and over had the highest suicide rate of all female age groups2.
Older people can have an increased risk of suicide due to :
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Health is committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of older people and to promoting targeted, inclusive and responsive suicide prevention services that meet the unique needs of older people in suicidal distress. Several targeted older people’s suicide prevention strategies have been developed. These strategies and programs aim to improve awareness and identification of older people experiencing suicidal distress, their pathways to care and support, and the services available to support them.​
[1]Australian Bureau of Statistics. Causes Of Death, Australia: Intentional Self-Harm Deaths (Suicide) In Australia​â¶Ä‹â€‹ [Internet]. Canberra (AU): ABS; 2023 [cited 25 Sept 2024].
°Ú2​] Life in Mind Australia. Older Adults: Priority Populations In Suicide Prevention​â¶Ä‹ [Internet]. Newcastle (AU): Life in Mind Australia; 2023 [cited 29 Sept 2024].
This project builds on the Older People’s Aftercare Service Delivery Model developed by the University of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, commissioned by ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Health, and the Older People's Suicide Prevention Pathway Project: Evaluation Report - Towards Zero Suicides​. The Older People’s Aftercare Pilot is a targeted older people’s suicide prevention initiative to ensure that universal aftercare services meet the specific needs of older people. The model emphasises the importance of a systemic approach to aftercare and suicide prevention for older people and a more holistic pathway to care approach. The intention of the pilot is to develop and implement an aftercare service response and pathway that effectively supports older people in suicidal distress. ​
The Older People’s Aftercare Service Delivery Model is informed by the evidence about suicide in older people, current and preferred pathways of accessing care and support, and suicide prevention interventions that are effective for and acceptable to older people.
Key principles of the model are:
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Health and the Health Education and Training Institute (HETI) have developed educational resources and content specific to older people’s suicide prevention for ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Health staff. The Suicide Prevention in the Older Person Training assists ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Health clinical staff to develop skills to support older people who may be experiencing suicidal distress. The Suicide Prevention in the Older Person Training workshop - Facilitator Resource is available on the My Health Learning​â¶Ä‹â€‹â€‹ platform.
The development and delivery of the Suicide Prevention for Seniors Program was funded by ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Health. It was delivered by Anglicare between 2020 -2024 and continues to be available nationally, supported by the Australian Government. The program includes an educational online course, webinars and resources. Its ai​m is for participants to recognise and respond to older people in suicidal distress, and help them access appropriate support.
During the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Health funding period the program trained 3,329 ‘gatekeepers’ on suicide prevention for older people across ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø. This included staff working in residential and community aged care services, home support services, retirement villages, and other services supporting older people. ​â¶Ä‹
From 2021 to 2023, the Older People’s Suicide Prevention Pathway to Care project involved four ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø local health districts that were supported to develop and implement a locally relevant suicide care pathway specifically for older people. The goal was to effectively respond to self-harm and suicidal distress in older people. The final evaluation of the project proved that the pathways created more rapid access to support and more emphasis on identifying the causes or triggers for suicidal distress in older people. Local older people’s suicide care pathways continue to be developed and enhanced through the Older People’s Aftercare Expanded Referral Pathways Pilot and local health district suicide care pathways activities.
In 2021,​ ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Health engaged Roses in the Ocean​â¶Ä‹ to co-design a consultation process involving older people with lived experience of suicidal distress across ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø to better understand the needs of older people with regards to suicide prevention services. One of the key outcomes of the project was a series of recorded interviews​â¶Ä‹â€‹â€‹ with older people that captured their lived experience perspectives, and insights into how to support them better.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call Triple Zero 000 or go to your nearest Emergency Department​.
Your can also call Lifeline on 13 11 14, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Or visit Get help now for more crisis services that may be better suited to you.
