PROBLEMS OF THE AGING: CONCLUSIONS DERIVED FROM TWO YEARS OF INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY OF DOMICILIARY MEMBERS IN A VETERANS ADMINISTRATION CENTER
ERNEST J. FOGEL M. D.,
EMIL R. SWEPSTON M. D.,
SYLVESTER S. ZINTEK M. D.,
CLAIRE M. VERNIER PH. D.,
JOHN F. FITZGERALD JR. ,
RICHARD S. MARNOCHA , , and
CHARLES H. WESCHLER
The problem of domiciliary care is a complex one. Two years of intensive study of a group of long-term domiciliary residents, recent admissions as they come in, and a comparable sample of chronically disabled veterans able to maintain themselves in the community have yielded a wealth of significant data. Through the use of an interdisciplinary research team, it has been possible to integrate medical, physical, social, and psychological findings into a meaningful composite picture. It has also been possible to use the results of the study as a basis for a modified program of operations. The extent to which the current program is successful in providing for a better adjustment of the veteran within the domiciliary or for facilitation of his return to community living is a question to be answered by the projected research program.
