ABSTRACT
The increased number of older adults with mental health needs, combined with a shortage of geriatric mental health professionals, is a growing crisis in American health care. This chapter discusses the possible ways in which the pandemic may disrupt geriatric mental health, incorporating the experience of two frontline social workers in emergency departments (EDs), including one in psychiatric emergency services program within an ED. An impact of the pandemic already felt by frontline social workers is the disruptions to mental health care access and delivery. The COVID-19 pandemic likely will have profound impacts on the mental health of older adults by increasing their demand for services while disrupting the supply of high-quality and timely care. Understanding the extent and duration of the mental health impacts and identification of best practices will require carefully planned observational studies and experimentations.
