| Popis: |
Publisher Summary While community treatment of aged persons with psychiatric disorders is preferred, it may be necessary to hospitalize the older adult in a psychiatric setting. When elderly persons are admitted to a psychiatric hospital, specific age-sensitive care is required to provide the quality of service that will foster autonomy and self-esteem. This chapter focuses on issues concerning hospital care for the older adult with mental health problems, reasons for admission to the hospital, specific behavior disorders in hospitalized older adults, assessment and care planning, the interdisciplinary team approach, mental health interventions for hospitalized aged persons, and discharge planning. Symptoms of depression, anxiety, dementia, and paranoia are the four most likely reasons for admission of an elderly person to an acute psychiatric setting. Some other reasons for admission are delusional ideation and alcohol and drug abuse. The need for hospitalization is dependent on the severity of symptoms correlated with the capacity of the individual to accomplish the activities of daily living and to maintain a safe environment. Along with deficits in self-care, the individual may lack sufficient social support or have concomitant physical illness. The types of institutions in which elderly patients with psychiatric problems are commonly placed include general hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, nursing homes, and boarding care facilities. Before instituting any therapies in the hospital setting, a comprehensive and systematic multidimensional, functional, physical, social, and mental health assessment is done when an elderly person is admitted for hospital care. This assessment should be followed by an interdisciplinary team conference to evaluate the findings and determine a plan of care. |
