E Fähndrich1, V Pieters. 1. Abt. für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Krankenhaus Neukölln, Berlin.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Following mainly the patients' view, the study examines whether the treatment of gerontopsychiatric patients in common with younger patients in a general psychiatric ward might entail disadvantages. METHOD: Out of a total of 297 gerontopsychiatric patients treated in 1999, a group of 107 patients was asked via a self-constructed questionnaire about different aspects of common treatment with younger patients. RESULTS: With the exception of an underrepresentation of organic disorders, the 107 interviewed patients did not differ substantially in basic characteristics from the entire group of gerontopsychiatric patients treated in 1999. Life together with younger patients was judged predominantly positively. The older patients themselves rejected the often stated complaint that nurses would neglect the gerontopsychiatric patients on age-mixed wards. CONCLUSIONS: Neither objective facts nor the subjective judgement by the users point to assume that common treatment of gerontopsychiatric patients together with younger patients could be disadvantageous. The contrary seems to be the case.
PURPOSE: Following mainly the patients' view, the study examines whether the treatment of gerontopsychiatric patients in common with younger patients in a general psychiatric ward might entail disadvantages. METHOD: Out of a total of 297 gerontopsychiatric patients treated in 1999, a group of 107 patients was asked via a self-constructed questionnaire about different aspects of common treatment with younger patients. RESULTS: With the exception of an underrepresentation of organic disorders, the 107 interviewed patients did not differ substantially in basic characteristics from the entire group of gerontopsychiatric patients treated in 1999. Life together with younger patients was judged predominantly positively. The older patients themselves rejected the often stated complaint that nurses would neglect the gerontopsychiatric patients on age-mixed wards. CONCLUSIONS: Neither objective facts nor the subjective judgement by the users point to assume that common treatment of gerontopsychiatric patients together with younger patients could be disadvantageous. The contrary seems to be the case.