Is Veteran Status and Suicide Risk Assessed in Community Long-Term Care? A Review of the States’ Assessment Instruments

A review of state-level long-term assessment instruments was conducted to determine whether veteran status & suicide are assessed. Data from 43 state’s Units on Aging instruments were content analyzed. Results indicate that over two-thirds of the states in this review included questions about suicide & veterans in their assessments, 69.8 percent & 67.4 percent respectively. Suicide risk among elders & veterans must be addressed at local, state, & federal levels so that concerted attention & oversight can be provided for matching elders to the services they need. (13 refs.) JA