Short-term hospital care for psychiatric illness among seniors

This study focuses on recent changes in hospital use by seniors (aged 65 or over) who have been treated as inpatients in general and psychiatric hospitals for less than one year with functional psychoses and clinical disorders. The data analyzed are hospital separations for the age groups 65 to 74, 75 to 84, and 85 and over, for the period 1980-89. The data are derived from hospital morbidity statistics submitted annually to Statistics Canada by the provincial ministries of health. Age-specific separation rates for the age groups 75 to 84, and 85 and over increased during 1980-89. However, for the age group 65-74, the rates were fairly stable and in some instances decreased. These increases in short-term hospitalization of the seniors 75 and over are evidence of the appreciation of their treatability and of the improved recognition of these disorders in this age group. Adverse reactions to prescription drugs resulting in psychiatric symptoms may also be a factor in the increasing hospitalization rates. The largest increases in age-specific rates and bed days were for the age group 85 and over. For this age group, the separation rates were higher for men than women. In this age group in 1986, a higher proportion of women than men lived in institutions. For seniors living outside institutions, a larger percentage of men than women lived alone. This situation likely promotes more social isolation for men than women, and may be an important factor in the higher hospitalization rates among men.