Getting older, feeling safe, taking risks

Risk has certainly become entrenched in the language of contemporary health care. Risk assessments are presented as part of good quality practice, reflecting the view that risk is a bad thing and should be avoided at all cost. Aged care and mental health services are both seen to carry particular risks because of the perceived vulnerabilities they carry. So what does that mean for mental health services for older people? The big danger is that avoiding risk may prevail over providing safe care and become a major stumbling block for recovery-based services.