title: A survey of psychiatric services for elderly people in Australia.
abstract: In 1992 a postal questionnaire identified 107 psychiatrists in Australia who, for a significant proportion of their time, were providing psychiatric services to elderly people. Only 18% were female. There were 34 psychiatrists working full-time in psychiatry of old age in the public health system. Twenty-three multidisciplinary catchment area psychiatric services for elderly people were identified, but staff to population ratios varied considerably. The ratio of psychiatrists to elderly was 1:30,000--similar to the ratio in a large part of Britain seven years previously. Psychogeriatricians are involved in a broad range of teaching and research activities. The mean number of non-medical staff in a catchment area psychogeriatric service should be increased.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005852:Geriatric Psychiatry; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000639:trends; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011331:Private Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000078329:Workforce