Psychiatrist in the Old People's Ward

Without choice, psychiatrists are involved in geria-trics. The number of elderly patients in psychiatric hospitals and units is increasing and will continue to increase. They come from two main sources. Long stay patients, legacies of the past and products of our present ignorance, grow old within the hospital. Sophistication in other branches of medicine makes old age possible for larger numbers. A mounting elderly population produces more cases of geriatric mental illness. The development of care for the elderly in this country has been mainly the work of three groups: geriatric physicians, local authority health, welfare and housing departments, and a variety of voluntary organizations. A combined service for the elderly may be ideal, but would be difficult to establish because of this evolution. It would also have disadvantages , inhibiting varied developments that are possible , and do occur, with the present system. Since psychiatrists are involved in geriatric medicine , they too must make a contribution to solving some of its problems. Pretending it is not their concern will not make the old people disappear. There are three main areas in which their help may be valuable: in developing services of their own for the elderly mentally ill, assisting other workers with the emotional problems of staff and patients, and playing a part in producing a coordinated service.