Geriatric patients: do their families care?

A study of the reasons for admission of 280 patients from their own homes to a geriatric unit in the East End of Glasgow showed that in two-thirds of cases patients were admitted primarily because they failed to receive adequate basic care at home (usually because of lack of relatives) or because their relatives suffered undue strain in caring for them. Neglect by relatives played a negligible part in the need for admission.