title: [Disabled elderly people waiting for institutionalization to a hospital ward: prospective study in the administrative district of Strasbourg (France)].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our aim was to estimate the number of non-satisfied instutionalization requests for inpatients and to describe the strategies elaborated to compensate for the waiting time.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective follow-up study concerning all requests for institution admission for inpatients aged 75 years or older hospitalized in acute care and rehabilitation wards. Descriptive data were gathered throughout the social support process conducted during the hospitalization. A three months follow-up was conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 5200 hospitalizations, a social support process was initiated for 270 patients aged 75 years and over. Two thirds of the sample were women (n=163). Mean age was 82 years. Fifty-two percent of the subjects met the criteria for iso-resource grades (IRG) 1 to 2 and 90% in IRG 1 to 4. The mean length of hospitalized stay (MLOS) was 56.8+/-10.2 days; the MLOS of unjustified stay of 23.5+/-5.6 (n=222). The average time before the social worker was informed of the patient's situation was 13.6+/-2.0 days; in addition, the time required to establish the administrative documents necessary for initiation of the social support progress was 15.0+/-1.8. The principal reasons for social support were physical dependence (77%), mental dependence (60%), insufficient family support (36%) and/or disease progression (21%). At three months, 104 patients were institutionalized, 128 were still on institution waiting list (in hospital: 48%; at home: 16%) and 38 had died (14%). The estimated annual institutional deficit for disabled elderly people was 512 beds.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In light of demographical perspectives, an overall re-organization of the geriatric network is absolutely necessary. A simple increase in the capacity to fulfil the institutional beds deficit would be insufficient.
authors.affiliation: Service de médecine interne et réadaptation, département de réhabilitation et gériatrie, hôpital des Trois-Chêne, hôpitaux universitaires de Genève, 3, chemin du Pont-Bochet, 1226 Thônex-Genève, Switzerland. Pierre.O.Lang@hcuge.ch
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mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006757:Hospital Units; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012947:Social Work; D014850:Waiting Lists