The Importance of Core Needs of Personality in Older Adults with Severe Mental Illness: A Position Paper with Case Report

This position paper explores how the Cognitive Model for Behavioral Interventions (CoMBI) can enable multidisciplinary care teams to effectively treat challenging behaviors in older adults with serious mental illness (SMI). Building on existing research, CoMBI uses a behavioral counseling approach tailored to the core needs associated with specific personality traits in this population. We demonstrate its application through a personalized case report in a Dutch nursing home, highlighting how CoMBI can reduce psychiatric symptoms, manage behavioral problems or issues, and ease the caregiver burden. Additionally, CoMBI fosters a stronger therapeutic alliance between caregivers and clients, improving the overall healthcare experience. Originally developed for managing behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, CoMBI has been shown to be equally effective in addressing the complex needs of older adults with SMI, providing a comprehensive and adaptable framework for interventions.