An assessment of a continuing care program.

In mid-1977 the Kern County (Calif.) Department of Mental Health Services undertook a survey of residents and operators of group and family care homes in the county to obtain their views on how services in the homes might be improved and to assess the level of skills of the patients placed there. A total of 139 former patients and 26 operators agreed to be interviewed. The results showed that few of the patients had overt behavioral problems and most were capable of self-care. For the most part the patients were satisfied with the homes, although problems related to finances and lack of outside activities were cited by both patients and operators. The authors emphasize the importance of including such assessment of consumer satisfaction in planning mental health services.