Characteristics of older adults hospitalized in acute psychiatric units in ontario: a population-based study.
OBJECTIVE
As the numbers of older adults in Canada increases, there will be a growing need for mental health services for this population. Acute psychiatric units (APUs) provide inpatient psychiatric services for the management of serious mental illness. Understanding the characteristics of older adults in APUs is necessary to determine the range of inpatient services required for this population.


METHODS
We conducted a population-based study of all adults discharged from APUs in Ontario in a 2-year period, 2008-2010, using administrative databases. We compared the characteristics of older adults (aged 66 years and older) in APUs to those of younger adults (aged 18 to 65 years), including sociodemographics, psychiatric and medical diagnoses, and measures of cognition and functioning.


RESULTS
There were a total of 79 352 discharges from APUs, with older adults accounting for 8.8% of all discharges. Depressive disorder was the most common diagnosis, both in older and in younger populations (32.1% and 29.9%, respectively), while dementia accounted for 19.5% of discharges for older adults. Older adults, compared with younger adults, were more likely to have 2 or more chronic medical conditions (83.8% and 20.5%, respectively), significant cognitive impairment (47.0% and 14.5%, respectively), and moderate-to-severe functional impairment (21.8% and 3.3%, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Older adults in APUs are a complex group, with mental health and medical care needs that differ from younger adults. APUs must be able to provide adequate psychiatric, medical, and interprofessional services to achieve optimal outcomes. Future studies are required to understand the quality of care and outcomes for older adults in APUs.
Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. seitzd@providencecare.ca
Dallas P
DP
Seitz
Simone N
SN
Vigod
Elizabeth
E
Lin
Andrea
A
Gruneir
Alice
A
Newman
Geoff
G
Anderson
Mark J
MJ
Rapoport
Paula
P
Rochon
Daniel M
DM
Blumberger
Nathan
N
Herrmann
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D004637:Emergency Services, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006306:Health Surveys; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016743:Mental Competency; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales