Journal of Health Community Service
Vol. 6 No. 2 (2026): Journal of Health Community Service: 2026 May

Mental Health Screening of the Elderly in a Social Nursing Home

Masrina Naomi (Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Kesehatan Garuda Putih)
Novida Nengsih (Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Kesehatan Garuda Putih)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 May 2026

Abstract

Elderly people are a vulnerable group at risk of experiencing physical and mental health disorders due to the aging process, which causes a decline in bodily functions and psychological abilities. Emotional mental disorders in the elderly, such as anxiety, depression, loneliness, and dementia, can affect quality of life and the level of independence in carrying out daily activities. Therefore, early detection through mental health screening is an important preventive step to identify the risk of mental disorders from the beginning. This activity aims to determine the emotional mental health condition of the elderly through screening using the Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ). The method used was a community service activity with a mental health screening approach involving 34 elderly people at the Panti Sosial Tresna Werdha Budi Luhur Jambi. The implementation was carried out over one day using the SRQ questionnaire consisting of 20 questions with “yes” and “no” answer choices. The screening results showed that most of the elderly were not indicated to experience emotional mental disorders, totaling 26 people (76%), while 8 people (24%) were indicated to experience emotional mental disorders. The majority of respondents were male, totaling 24 people (71%). These results indicate that mental health screening can serve as a preventive effort to increase elderly awareness of the importance of maintaining mental and physical health. In addition, increasing physical activity, religious activities, and relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation can be strategies to prevent and reduce emotional mental disorders in the elderly. Thus, routine mental health screening needs to be carried out as part of elderly healthcare services to improve their quality of life and psychological well-being.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jhcs

Publisher

Subject

Education Health Professions Medicine & Pharmacology Nursing Public Health

Description

Journal of Health Community Service as an International Journal focuses on community service program to advance theories, research and practices related to all forms of outreach and community service, which have developing health community. Community service means services to society, especially in ...