USE OF AN AGE-RELATED ADMISSION POLICY IN ESTABLISHING A NEW DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE FOR THE ELDERLY

Possible admission policies when initiating new Departments of Medicin e for the Elderly are discussed. We report the results of a new acute unit where an age related policy was used in an area with no prior con tact with the speciality. Six hundred and fifty-one acute medical admi ssions aged 80 years and over were treated in the unit's first year. A verage age was 84.6 years with an average stay of 8.6 days. 54 % were discharged directly home with a further 17 % going home after rehabili tation. Only 12 % eventually needed continuing nursing care. 9.4 % of the patients died. We conclude that Medicine for the Elderly is highly effective if allowed access to patients from the point of admission r ather than on a take-over basis. It is suggested that an age-related p olicy is appropriate when setting up new departments unless there is a clear indication for an alternative policy.