[Community reintegration of long-course psychiatric patients. Development of a residential structure]

Segregation from the community of long-term psychiatric patients leads to an increase in psychiatric disability. The rehabilitation process envisages the development of autonomy and personal realization and must be linked to a continuity of rendered care. In the resettlement of these patients there are priority needs to fulfill along with housing. Scarceness of community resources, in our country including accommodation facilities, led us to a project aimed at creating a residential unit within a pilot experiment. Essential points are focused, namely unit definition, staff formation, patient selection and training, community resources survey, financing and efficacy indicators. In conclusion, possible errors to avoid in the conception of a unit such as the one described are pointed out.