And half of those will be people aged over 65 suffering from mood disorders or depression.

Aged mental health community services manager Kevin Harris said there were multiple factors behind this seemingly high statistic.

“It could be the loss of a partner, or a partner has gone into care,” Mr Harris said.

“There could be a lot of deficits, such as not knowing how to cook or do the washing. 

“There is also a loss of friends in this age group or a loss of mobility, such as losing a driver’s licence, which can leave them isolated at home.”

But Mr Harris warns mental health signs in this age group, which include warning symptoms of anxiety disorders, bipolar affective disorders and dementia, can often be masked.

“Older people tend to be quite stoic. They tell people they’re alright and that there’s people a lot worse off than them.”

To counteract this tendency, the aged mental health community team developed a project with local home care workers to help them identify the early warning signs.

“It was a useful exercise because they started to notice little subtle changes, such as not eating their Meals on Wheels and this could be the really early warning signs of depression.”

The 14-member team stretches itself from Bacchus Marsh to the South Australian border, holding a video conference every morning to discuss new referrals and any problematic cases.

Staff are then assigned to do initial psycho-social assessments.

Community clinicians will also go to homes and residential facilities to help patients, including bringing in family members to help flesh out a client’s background and personal preferences and working with their GPs.

A full-time psychiatrist also works on the team, along with psychologists, occupational therapists and division one nurses.

“We do a needs assessment and work with their family to find out the impact on the family at home.”

However, Mr Harris stressed the client was always the team’s priority.

“When you get old, people start to make decisions for you as well and they often find that very difficult. You wouldn’t do it to a younger person.

“It can take their independence away and that can happen extremely quickly.”

Mr Harris said morning meetings also allowed for discussion of difficult cases.

“The staff put their skills into place – a lot of heads can come up with some great ideas.”

He also said some medical conditions can present as mental health conditions because they can also cause confusion and anxiety.

These include urinary tract and chest infections.

However, he said they didn’t have the crisis cases that often presented in adult and youth mental health.

Mr Harris said some of the treatments offered include psycho-social treatments, activities, sensory modulation work and progressive muscle relaxation.

Even the recently new phenomenen of adult colouring books have proven very popular as a relaxation aid.

“We individualise the treatment for each patient because everybody’s got an individual personality.”

Dementia behaviour consultant Michelle Cowie-Scott supports anyone who cares for a person with dementia across the Grampians region.

She gives them strategies for dealing with dementia behaviours.

“It’s helping families understand more about the dementia process and things they can do to make life run more smoothly,” Ms Cowie-Scott said.

This includes working on communication and their physical environment, simplifying life, sticking to a routine and trying to maintain a stress free life.

“But you have to remember to involve the person with dementia.”

She also connects families with support services, including respite programs.

“You don’t need a memory to connect to a loved one. It’s about being in the moment and enjoying spending time together.”

Ms Cowie-Scott said the loved one should be included in any tasks they can still manage, such as helping compile photograph albums or even folding washing.

“Don’t just park them in front of the TV. Do things together so they can feel useful and participate still.

“It’s about working with their strengths. Say ‘let’s look at what mum can do’.”

Ms Cowie-Scott is also involved in staff training and received last year’s BHS mental health travel scholarship to attend a dementia seminar in the Netherlands.

“They focus more on a social model of care.”

BHS has a 10 bed acute aged mental health unit and a 20 bed residential facility at its Ascot Street site, known as the Steele Houghton Unit.

There is also access to beds in Nhill and Stawell.

However, Mr Harris said there would be increased demand on the service well into the future, with changing demographics indicating Ballarat’s aged population will only increase over time.

“We’re getting 50 new referrals a month.”