Preventing Late-Life Suicide

Preventing Late-Life Suicide is organized by Nurse.com - OnCourse Learning Corporation.

Course Originally Released on: 03/11/2002
Date of Most Recent Review: 2/25/2021
Course Termination/ Update Date: 09/20/2022

Description:
Suicide is a public health concern, and risks are often overlooked in elderly patients. While in recent years there has been a shift to higher suicide rates in middle age, there is still concern regarding suicide risk in older adults, especially males. The changes in suicide rates can be found on the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention website. Alarmingly, hospitalized patients at high risk for suicide are not consistently referred for a psychiatric evaluation. Healthcare providers also frequently miss opportunities for mental health diagnosis and referral in primary care settings. To have an impact on late-life suicide, healthcare providers must know what symptoms to look for and routinely screen for depression to determine suicide risk.

Conference Objectives:
The goal of this continuing education module is to enhance nurses’, occupational therapists, and social workers’ ability to identify and evaluate at-risk older adults to prevent late-life suicide. After studying the information presented here, you will be able to:
• Recognize three important clinical clues to late-life suicide.
• Identify the risk factors for late-life suicide.
• Describe the evaluation and prevention of late-life suicide.