Am J Psychiatry 1976; 133:271-273
Copyright © 1976 by American Psychiatric Association
Services for the aged in community mental health centers
RD Patterson
The author studied the services provided for the elderly at eight community
mental health centers. He describes discrimination against the elderly, the
reasons why relatively few elderly persons seek care, and innovations in
treatment. He discovered that high-quality care depends more on staff
awareness of the unique problems of the elderly than on specialized
services. The author recommends a more public- health-oriented approach
that would set priorities on the basis of community needs.
