Influencing Mental Health and Well-Being of Older Adults Through Advocacy: Beyond the Bedside.

Estimates indicate that approximately 20% of adults 65 and older have one or more mental health or substance use conditions. As caregivers, mental health nurses are natural advocates for older patients facing mental health challenges in the clinical environment. Substantive opportunities exist to shape older adult mental health and well-being through advocacy. Nurse advocates can be effective influencers helping address key challenges at the intersection of mental health, aging, and policy. Resource barriers such as workforce issues and funding challenges, coupled with the stigma associated with mental health, are three of the many areas where nurses can advocate to make a positive difference in the lives of older adults. By becoming active and engaged in advocacy opportunities that effect positive change, beyond the bedside, nurses influence older adult mental health at the population level. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 57(7), 13-15.].