The psychological treatment of older adults with mental health problems can be daunting. Lee Hyer, the author of the new book Psychological Treatment of Older Adults: A Holistic Model, identifies numerous challenges facing researchers and practitioners focused on the care of older adults. Approximately 58 per cent of older adults in the United States of America (USA) will receive inadequate care for comorbid conditions and 44 per cent are non-compliant with psychotropic medications (p. xviii). The health-care costs of treating older adults in the USA are rising, reaching US $2.6 trillion in 2010 (p. 343). Ageing is complex, and, as Hyer notes, is less related to years on earth than to the accumulated advantages and disadvantages across a lifetime. Obviously, there is a growing need for effective care models for the psychological treatment of older adults.

The goal of Hyer's book is to address this need by introducing a new model of psychological care for older adults called the ‘Watch and Wait’ model. This model consists of two core components. First, the model focuses on care of five core areas: depression, anxiety, cognition, medical concerns (especially pain and sleep) and adjustment/life issues. Second, the model proposes a Watch and Wait strategy that involves six core approaches: validating the problem, psycho-education, assessment, monitoring, case formulation and checking of therapeutic alliance. This strategy emphasises patience and validation when working with older clients and eschews ‘shoot-from-the-hip’ interventions that are focused on rapid solutions. Importantly, Hyer notes that the Watch and Wait model is best implemented within an integrated care setting as it ‘takes a village to care for the older patient’ (p. xix).

The roadmap for the Watch and Wait strategy is illustrated throughout the 12 chapters of the book (some co-authored). In the first chapter, Hyer provides an overview of the field of gerontology and geriatrics and presents a case for a new care model. The extensive reviews of research create a compelling case for a new approach to treating the complex integration of the modal problems during late life. The second chapter explicitly defines the new Watch and Wait model. Hyer elaborates upon the model through ‘treatment axioms’ such as:

DO NOT pick one best treatment at the outset. Rather, recognize how patients present with and experience depression, apply and reapply objective measures of treatment response, and make changes until the patient improves. (p. 35)

These axioms are helpful for envisioning the model in practice. Similarly, case examples help with translating the model into everyday practice. The third chapter focuses on psychotherapy and lays the groundwork for the Watch and Wait approach by presenting an empirical review of existing therapeutic approaches. Both core and recommended treatment factors are presented.

Chapters 4–11 focus on the five core problem areas of older adulthood (depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, medical concerns and adjustment/life issues). Chapter 12 focuses on assessment and goes beyond a discussion of measures to identifying the benefits of assessment for the patient, the family and care-givers, and the therapeutic alliance. The book closes with a clear and concise summary of the core ideas presented throughout the book. Three appendices provide useful tools for memory retraining, cognitive behavioural therapeutic approaches and sleep treatment.

With shifting demographics and increasing lifespans, we need to do a better job of providing psychological treatments to older adults. Hyer's book is an exciting call to action that provides a pathway for how to update our treatment approaches to meet this growing need. Although the breadth of content addressed in the book is considerable, the use of summary tables, graphic illustration of data and case examples parses out the key elements. As the title states, Hyer is presenting an approach that addresses the whole person. Given that older adulthood involves a complex interplay of biological, psychological and social factors, a model of care that focuses on the interaction of these factors just makes sense. Readers from the fields of research, practice and education will gain an understanding of the past and current approaches to treating older adults and will come away with a useful, well-developed and appropriate perspective for addressing the future psychological needs of this group.