[Psychiatric disease and social isolation in elderly nursing home residents: a comparative study]

As part of a population-based morbidity survey, a sample of over-65-year-old residents of geriatric nursing homes and old people's homes (N = 153) in the city of Mannheim, F.R.G. (Popn. 308,000) was investigated with regard to mental and physical impairment, as well as to the frequency and quality of their family and social contacts. Corresponding data from the investigation of a community sample (N = 350) served as a basis for a direct comparison of old people in residential care and those living in the community. The findings point to a large relative excess both of mental impairments--especially organic brain syndromes--and of physical disabilities among the nursing-home residents. Those in old people's homes, in marked contrast, do not differ in these respects from persons of the same age living in the community. The home residents have on average far fewer social contacts, and derive less help and support from their social relationships, than do their contemporaries who live in private households. From this point of view, there appears to be little difference between those in nursing homes and those in old people's homes. The observed disparities between the home and community samples remained significant following statistical correction of the data for differences in the sample distributions by age and by marital status. The implications of these findings for further research and for geriatric service-planning are discussed.