[The significance of repeated users of geriatric health care facility]

Our geriatric health care facility was established 3 years ago. The real number of users since April 1989 to March 1991 amounts to 519, of which 62 have been admitted 3 times or more (defined as repeated here). At the same time, this facility has a day care activity 6 times a week. The utilization rate of day care activity was 14.8% for total users, while it was 59.7% for repeaters. These results indicate that repeaters actively utilize day care activity as well as geriatric health care facility. In other words, repeaters usually reside at home and their home cares are greatly supported by both repeated admissions to the facility and daily utilization of day care activity which are effective in improving ADL of the disabled elderly. It is concluded that geriatric health care facility plays an important part in supporting home care of the disabled elderly as well as transitional step from hospital to their own home.