[Geriatric psychiatry in the regimen of community psychiatry. 1. Community psychiatric services for patients living at home].

On 1.1.1988 three community psychiatric teams were established in the gerontopsychiatric fields under the Copenhagen County Hospital, Nordvang. The objects were to supervise and treat patients over the age of 65 in their own homes or in nursing homes. This article is an account of the functions of two teams concerning patients living in their own homes during the period 1st January to 31st December 1988. A total of 125 patients were referred and 31 were admitted, five of these because of lack of nursing home beds. Women and persons living alone were most frequently involved. On the initiative of the teams, it proved possible to obtain increased covering by measures in the primary community in various fields. The frequency of psychopharmacological treatment was high and this was in agreement with the observation that 33% were psychotic and that many demented patients presented secondary psychiatric symptoms requiring treatment. It is concluded that it was possible to treat these patients in their own homes to a great extent, that the psychiatric service for elderly persons is improved and that cooperation between the hospital, referring general practitioner and the primary community had increased.