"Asset stripping" the declining mental hospital

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Psychiatry
• Mental Health Services Research

Background:

• Large mental hospitals have experienced population decreases.
• Psychogeriatric services require innovative models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development of a psychogeriatric day hospital from a long-stay ward.
• To identify patient demographics benefiting most from this model.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of patient data.
• Qualitative assessment of facility utilization.

Main Results:

• The day hospital was successfully established from a repurposed ward.
• Women aged 70-80 with varying degrees of dementia showed significant benefit.

Conclusions:

• Repurposing mental hospital infrastructure can be a cost-effective strategy for elderly mental healthcare.
• Psychogeriatric day hospitals are beneficial for specific elderly populations.