Treating the aged: how the public system affects the private system.
The elderly are an increasingly numerous group within the population. They have a high incidence of treatable psychiatric conditions, yet are psychiatrically underserved. This article reviews the experiences of the Douglas Gardens Community Mental Health Center of Miami Beach in treating older individuals living in the community. Over 12 percent of these patients needed psychiatric hospitalization in 1982 in private community facilities. Information about these patients and comparative data from a typical inpatient facility are described. A new trend seems to be emerging which will move the public sector further away from the treatment of the elderly. An opportunity for the private sector is, therefore, developing.
D000368:Aged; D003155:Community Mental Health Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005431:Florida; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data