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A Psychiatric Clinic within a Geriatric Medical Day Hospital: Descriptive Study*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

M. Oluwafemi Agbayewa
M. Oluwafemi Agbayewa
Affiliation:
University of British Columbia and Prince George Regional Hospital and Pat Cossette,**Deer Lodge Centre
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Abstract

A survey of the first two years of a psychiatric clinic within a geriatric medical day hospital was undertaken to determine the role of such a clinic. Forty per cent of all day hospital attenders were referred for psychiatric evaluation: at least 80 per cent of these had major psychiatric diagnoses and 20 per cent had other conditions needing psychosocial intervention. Depression and dementia accounted for 62 per cent of all psychiatric referrals. Those who were referred to the psychiatric clinic were quite comparable to the unreferred group in age, sex, marital status, pre-retirement employment and source of referral to the day hospital. The outcomes of intervention at three, six and 12 months were similar in both groups but referred patients stayed longer in the program. It is concluded that such a clinic provides a necessary mental health service where it is needed.

Résumé

Une enquête visant à étudier les deux premières années d'opération d'une clinique psychiatrique située dans un hôpital de jour gériatrique a été mise au point dans le but d'en déterminer le rôle. Quarante pour cent des patients avaient été référés pour évaluation psychiatrique: au moins 80 pour cent de ces personnes souffraient de désordres psychiatriques sévères et 20 pour cent requéraient une intervention psychosociale. Une proportion de 62 pour cent parmi tous les cas psychiatriques référés souffraient de dépression et de démence. Le groupe qui avait été référé à la clinique psychiatrique ne différait pas sensiblement de celui qui ne l'avait pas été pour ce qui est de l'âge, du sexe, de la situation de famille, de l'emploi avant la retraite et du responsable qui avait effectué la référence à l'hôpital de jour. Les effets produits par les interventions et mesurés à des intervalles de trois, six et 12 mois différaient faiblement lorsque les deux groupes étaient comparés, mais les patients référés avaient tendance à demeurer plus longtemps dans le programme. II convient de conclure qu'une telle clinique offre un service nécéssaire à la santé mentale là où le besoin se fait sentir.

Keywords

Psychiatric ClinicDay HospitalGeriatric
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , Spring/printemps 1990 , pp. 5 - 12
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1990

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