[Functions of a geriatric facility]

A geriatric facility in a general hospital is a relatively new service, not clearly defined and varying in character from hospital to hospital. A geriatric rehabilitation department was opened at this hospital in 1973 and has treated more than 1,500 patients. It was originally set up to relieve pressure on the general and surgical wards. It admitted elderly patients who required additional treatment or who could not be discharged due to inability to function independently without a suitable support framework. The department has since focused increasingly on rehabilitation of elderly patients following CVA or fracture of the hip, with increasing emphasis on physiotherapy. At the same time, a geriatric facility system of work was consolidated, whose features are a multidisciplinary team, a thorough study of the patient from many aspects, and search for medical, nursing and rehabilitation solutions best suited to the patient's particular needs. Problems encountered in those admitted have recently changed, and patient turnover is now more rapid and duration of hospitalization has shortened. The department had been transformed from a long-stay ward treating chronic illness to one giving intensive treatment following an acute crisis.