The nursing home and training in geropsychiatry

Although the elderly have a higher incidence of mental illness than other groups, their need for psychiatric services is not being met adequately. This situation could be improved by providing psychiatrists with a broader education in aging and more extensive supervised experience in treating mentally ill old people at an early stage of their training. The Bronx-Lebanon Hospital established a program for this purpose in cooperation with the Daughters of Jacob Geriatric Center. Second-year residents in psychiatry are given regular assignments, under supervision, in this multiservice nursing home. They become knowledgeable about the aging process, gain a better understanding of the effect of physical, emotional and social factors on mental health in late life, and acquire a special competence and greater interest in treating the mentally ill aging. The success of the program suggests its value as a means of encouraging psychiatrists to take a more active and responsible role toward the aging.