The legend and lessons of Geel, Belgium: a 1500-year-old legend, a 21st-century model.
Geel, Belgium, is the home of a legendary system of foster family care for the mentally ill. The current status of Geel's modern system of integrated community care and the 700-year history of this system (including the 10-year-long, international, multi-disciplinary Geel Research Project) are described. As a case study, Geel offers a microcosmic encapsulation of major issues related to mental illness. Though these issues have been dealt with across time and in all places, here they are contained in a single community. This is a case study that can help other communities to identify significant factors that contribute to successful community mental health programs.
Goldstein
Jackie L
JL
Psychology Department, Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama 35229-2308, USA. jlgoldst@samford.edu
Godemont
Marc M L
MM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001530:Belgium; D005581:Foster Home Care / Q000266:history* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006302:Health Services Research; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017146:Models, Organizational; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D013808:Therapeutic Community