Some aspects concerning admittance to and accommodation in geriatric institutions housing persons with varying degrees of need for care.
On the basis of an account of the mortality and changes in the need for care over a 2-year period among independent persons and patients requiring care in De Gamles By, Copenhagen, an assessment is made of the movements of patients and the need for care in a model of a geriatric institution. This model includes both purpose-built residential apartments for independent persons and places for dependent patients requiring nursing care. It is shown that the accommodation for the latter patients rapidly becomes occupied by the independent persons from the residential apartments who subsequently need nursing care. Thus, the places in the nursing section are blocked for the admittance of dependent persons living in the community outside. This situation arises when there are equal numbers of both types of accomodation. Where the number of residential apartments is greater than the number of places in the nursing section the care function must be transferred to the residential apartments, and this is regarded as impracticable.
D000368:Aged; D003718:Denmark; D005851:Geriatric Nursing; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D012111:Residence Characteristics