Physiological concomitants of an "autonomous day programme" in geriatric day care

Sixty-five geriatric patients with a mean age of 74 years (range 61-90) who were referred to the day care unit of a geriatric hospital were randomly allocated to an experimental and a control group in groups of 5-8 patients, respectively. Controls were cared for according to usual routines. Patients in the experimental groups were subject to a new organizational routine. These patient groups constituted a forum for discussion and definition of individual treatment goals. Patients in the experimental and control conditions were observed before as well as 6, 12 and 24 weeks after the start of the treatment, which lasted for twelve weeks. Patients in the intervention programme had significantly lower plasma prolactin levels following the initiation of the programme than patients in the control group. According to literature, an absence of a plasma prolactin elevation during a crisis period may indicate active coping. Such a conclusion was supported by other observations in the study which indicated a progressively more internalized locus of control in the experimental group.