Nursing Homes: A Review
BERNARD A. STOTSKY PH.D., M.D.1
1 Boston State Hospital, Boston, Mass. 02124, and the Center for Continuing Education, Northeastern University, Boston
Recent developments, such as the passage of Medicare, have drawn attention to the need for evaluating existing posthospital extended care services, of which nursing homes are presently a major part. The author traces the evolution of the nursing home and reviews the literature describing nursing home services in the areas of general medical care, rehabilitation, psychiatric therapy, and psychiatric evaluation. The future of nursing homes, he concludes, depends in large part upon their ability to broaden and professionalize their functions beyond the provision of basic custodial care.
