Promoting Personal and Social Recovery in Older Persons with Schizophrenia: The Case of The New Club, a Novel Dutch Facility Offering Social Contact and Activities

New horizons in schizophrenia in older people

People aged 65 years and older will soon constitute more than a quarter of the total population with schizophrenia, challenging the existing systems of care. For a long time, research into schizophrenia in later life was very limited. However, recent years have seen an encouraging surge in novel and high-quality studies related to this stage of life. Older people with schizophrenia consist of those who had an early onset and aged with the disorder, and of a smaller but sizeable group with a late onset or a very late onset. With ageing, physical needs gain importance relative to psychiatric needs. Medical comorbidity contributes to a markedly higher mortality compared to the general population. In many persons, symptoms and functioning fluctuate with time, leading to deterioration in some but improvement in others. Of note, a substantial number of older people may experience subjective well-being in spite of ongoing symptoms and social impairments. The majority of individuals with schizophrenia reside in the community, but when institutionalization is required many are placed in residential or nursing homes where staff is often ill-equipped to address their complex needs. There is a clear need for implementation of new models of care in which mental health and general health systems cooperate. This review provides a state-of-the-art overview of current knowledge in late life schizophrenia and related disorders, with a focus on themes with clinical relevance.

Five-year outcome of clinical recovery and subjective well-being in older Dutch patients with schizophrenia

Outcome of schizophrenia in later life can be evaluated from different perspectives. The recovery concept has moved forward this evaluation, discerning clinical-based and patient-based definitions. Longitudinal data on measures of recovery in older individuals with schizophrenia are scant. This study evaluated the five-year outcome of clinical recovery and subjective well-being in a sample of 73 older Dutch schizophrenia patients (mean age 65.9 years; SD 5.4), employing a catchment-area based design that included both community living and institutionalized patients regardless of the age of onset of their disorder. At baseline (T1), 5.5% of participants qualified for clinical recovery, while at five-year follow-up (T2), this rate was 12.3% (p = 0.18; exact McNemar's test). Subjective well-being was reported by 20.5% of participants at T1 and by 27.4% at T2 (p = 0.27; exact McNemar's test). Concurrence of clinical recovery and subjective well-being was exceptional, being present in only one participant (1.4%) at T1 and in two participants (2.7%) at T2. Clinical recovery and subjective well-being were not correlated neither at T1 (p = 0.82; phi = 0.027) nor at T2 (p = 0.71; phi = -0.044). There was no significant correlation over time between clinical recovery at T1 and subjective well-being at T2 (p = 0.30; phi = 0.122) nor between subjective well-being at T1 and clinical recovery at T2 (p = 0.45; phi = -0.088). These results indicate that while reaching clinical recovery is relatively rare in older individuals with schizophrenia, it is not a prerequisite to experience subjective well-being.

Ageing with schizophrenia: an update

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The aim of this review was to summarize the recent literature on the clinical symptoms, functioning, outcomes and treatments for older adults with chronic schizophrenia.

RECENT FINDINGS

The number and proportion of older adults with schizophrenia is rapidly increasing. Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous disorder and older adults with schizophrenia display significant variability in symptom severity, quality of life and overall outcomes. Many achieve stable disease remission, some display persistent nonremission and others experience fluctuating symptoms. Depression is commonly reported, and although rates of suicide are higher when compared with age-matched peers, the excess mortality seen in this population is mainly attributed to natural causes of death. Cognitive decline and reduced illness awareness have important implications for functional status and quality of life. Antipsychotics remain essential in the treatment regimen, although elderly patients with chronic disease may be good candidates for gradual dose reduction. Interdisciplinary treatment approaches as well as nonpharmacologic psychosocial interventions play a critical adjunctive role in the treatment of older adults with schizophrenia.

SUMMARY

Research focusing on schizophrenia in late life is sparse. Too often, older patients are eliminated from research studies or averaged in with all age groups. Thus, there continues to be gaps in our understanding of modifiable predictors of remission and recovery, and the most efficacious and safest treatment approaches for this age group.