Treatment courses and therapeutic effectiveness of a psychogeriatric day hospital

Since 1976, 37 psychogeriatric day hospitals have been set up in Germany. A s only few empirical studies on the effectiveness of this day hospital syst em are available even 25 years on, the treatment course of 58 patients atte nding the psychogeriatric day hospital run by the Department of Psychiatry, University of Tubingen was evaluated. The course analysis was based on a s eries of tests comprising the following questionnaires: Social Situation Sc ale, Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Instrumental Activities of Daily Liv ing (IADL), Munich Quality of Life Dimension List (MLDL), Mini Mental Statu s (MMS), Hamilton Depression Scale, and Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CI RS). Women accounted for three-quarters of the sample, and men for one-quar ter. The average age was 72 years. The fact that only 16% of the patients h ad been transferred from psychiatric hospitals and that more than half had been referred directly by their local doctors underlines the acute-psychiat ric nature of the institution. More than 80% of the patients were discharge d to their previous place of residence. A highly significant improvement in affective state was verified by the Hamilton Depression Scale. Significant improvements were also registered in the following items: general satisfac tion with life, state of health, physical and mental performance, and scope for personal development. The quality of life, measured with the Munich Qu ality of Life Dimension List (MLDL), improved in nine of the nineteen items covered, with correction of the significance level cc taken into account. The treatment outcomes confirmed the therapeutic effectiveness of this type of psychogeriatric institution from aspects of acute psychiatry too and sh ould encourage the continued expansion of partial hospitalization facilitie s for the elderly.