The psychogeriatric patient in hospital

The records of 148 geriatric patients discharged from the Royal Ottawa Hospital over an 18-month period were studied. The readmission rate, 38%, was similar to that of all inpatients in this hospital. The largest diagnostic category was depressive neurosis. More women than men had diagnoses of affective disorders, while more men had organic brain disease; these differences were statistically significant. The average length of hospital stay was 25 days. Those patients with diagnoses of organic brain disease and alcoholism had shorter stays than those with affective disorders. The implications of these findings in terms of setting up a psychogeriatric unit are discussed.