Comprehensive health care for the elderly

Health care for the elderly in the United States remains fragmentary and noncomprehensive despite concern for the needs of an expanding elderly population and a new emphasis on geriatrics. Model health care programs for the elderly have been few and not generally applicable to central city populations. A model health care program has been designed to offer a continuum of comprehensive, multidisciplinary health care to Milwaukee elderly. An acute care unit for the elderly, rehabilitation-oriented nursing home, outpatient clinic, home care service, outreach clinics, rehabilitation day hospital, Alzheimer's Disease Day Care program, and acute geriatric psychiatric unit have been developed and integrated into one continuum of care. The program serves chiefly the frail elderly, who are demonstrated to be markedly impaired physically, mentally, and socially, requiring the services of multiple professionals to enable the patients to achieve maximum independence. Alternatives to institutionalization are emphasized, and geriatric education and research programs are part of the model program.