The elderly admitted to a general hospital psychiatry ward

In this retrospective study of 489 consecutive elderly admissions to a general hospital psychiatry ward, the main aim was to describe the stressors precipitating admission, psychiatric and medical diagnoses, physical treatments used, length of hospitalisation, and clinical and social outcome. Depression was the predominant diagnosis, with length of stay being correlated with depression severity. The main stressor associated with admissions was a change in medical status of the patient. At least two medical diagnoses were present in 70% of admissions, with many new physical illnesses being diagnosed. Significant improvement was found in 81% of admissions at discharge. Two thirds of admissions were discharged into independent living arrangements. While these outcomes suggested effective interventions, management difficulties were noted with the mix of elderly and young patients. It is recommended that acute psychogeriatric wards be developed in the general hospital and be located near geriatric medical wards.