The elderly in the psychiatric emergency service (PES); a descriptive study

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Gerontology
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• The increasing elderly population's impact on psychiatric emergency services (PES) is not fully understood.
• Elderly individuals may be underrepresented in PES, possibly due to lower prevalence of certain disorders, excluding cognitive impairments.
• This study aimed to clarify the PES utilization patterns and characteristics of older adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the patterns of psychiatric emergency service (PES) use by the elderly population.
• To identify the clinical and demographic characteristics of elderly patients utilizing PES.
• To inform resource planning for PES to better serve the aging demographic.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of approximately 30,000 psychiatric emergency service (PES) visits from a general hospital in Montreal, Canada (1990-2004).
• Inclusion of over 17,000 additional PES visits from three other Quebec services (2002-2004) using the same methodology.
• Comparison of elderly patients (65 and older) with younger patients (<65) regarding utilization and characteristics.

Main Results:

• While the median age of PES patients increased, the proportion of elderly visits remained stable.
• Elderly patients were more likely to be women, widowed, accompanied, and cite illness as a stressor.
• Affective disorders were predominant among the elderly, with lower comorbidity and higher admission rates compared to younger patients.

Conclusions:

• Despite no proportional increase in use, the elderly exhibit unique characteristics relevant to psychiatric emergency service (PES) planning.
• Distinct demographic and clinical profiles of elderly PES users necessitate tailored resource allocation and service delivery.
• Findings support the need for strategic planning to optimize PES for the growing elderly population.