Geriatric psychiatry in the general hospital: the integration of services and training

This article describes the development of a new psychiatric service for the elderly based in a university general hospital. The service aims to provide and coordinate comprehensive psychiatric care for a defined population and also to serve as a tertiary care unit with academic responsibilities. As part of the Department of Psychiatry, this specialized service is fully integrated into all the major clinical and teaching components of the department. As the demand for more geriatric psychiatry services and training increases over the next decade, innovative ways of responding to this need will have to be developed. This integrative model in a general hospital setting has enhanced the quality of health care delivery to the elderly at the same time as improving training and recruitment.