Introduction: The world's population is ageing, and suicide rates are increasing with age. Identifying risk factors for suicide in the elderly is important for the planning and development of preventive health services. The increase in life expectancy highlights the importance of physical and mental health in old age. Purpose: The aim of this thesis was to identify risk factors for suicide of the elderly and to examine the role and interventions of health care providers for elderly people at risk of suicide in the health care system. Methods: We used the databases of the University of Ljubljana's remote access digital library (DiKUL) and dLib, Medline (PubMed), CINAHL, Elsevier, and Google Scholar to search the literature. Keywords for the literature search were elderly, suicide, suicidal threat, health care, nursing care and risk factors. Literature was collected between May 2023 and August 2023. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were used for further constrain the selection of literature. Results: Men are at higher risk. There are many risk factors for suicide in the elderly, one of which is depression, that plays a significant role in the increased risk of suicidality in the elderly. Suicide among older people requires a multifaceted approach to prevention. Health care providers have a key role to play in identifying and assessing risk factors for suicide in older people. Identifying these factors enables them to take timely action and establish an appropriate supportive environment. Discussion and conclusion: Older people may experience emotional and mental distress, which may lead to a desire to self-harm or suicide. Health care providers have a key role to play in identifying these individuals, providing timely psychological support and establishing a plan to prevent relapse. We need to recognise that suicide prevention in the elderly population is a broad societal responsibility that requires ongoing efforts to improve understanding, interventions and support.
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