How to Care for Elderly Psychiatric Patients

According to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging, mental illness is the leading threat to independence and quality of life of older adults. Family members, friends as well as health professionals are looking for guidelines for care giving. Elderly psychiatric patients are either coping with lifelong mental issues that become more complicated with age, or age-acquired mental problems such as Alzheimer's disease. Following these steps for providing care for the elderly mentally ill will minimize emotional discomfort and maximize emotional abilities.

Instructions

• 1

  Ask your doctor for a referral to a geriatric psychiatrist to examine the patient to detect the sources of the problems, and to give you the guidelines for the specific needs of your patient. Medication will probably be an important part of the treatment and needs to be carefully monitored by the doctor and the caregiver.

• 2

  List the daily habits of your patient. As much as possible, use those patterns to organize the new daily routine, adding changes slowly. Allow the patient to be as self-sufficient a possible. Encourage the patient's interests and skills at a realistic level. Keep the doctor informed if problems with medication occur. Nutrition and exercise are essential for healthy brain activity. Do not be authoritative, but continue to try new ideas. Eating fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and drinking water, as well as exercising at regular times every day are the priorities.

• 3

  Your language and physical demeanor must express friendship and caring. Listening without interruption, and allowing the patient to express his or her own reality is helpful. Correcting details is not helpful. Be open minded to the world the patient is experiencing. Never respond to abusive language. Time outs in a safe place is always the preferred behavior modification plan. Take a crisis intervention class at the local hospital or community center for correct responses to threatening behavior. If a patient becomes violent, remove yourself and call 911 immediately.

• 4

  Make attractive signs for doors--bathroom, bedroom, and others. Write notes for reminders. Keep the current date visible. Engage in conversation avoiding hurtful topics. Respect the patient, and enjoy your day. Both of those attitudes are contagious. Toileting, bathing, grooming and other tasks depend on the physical condition of the patient. There are products to help with incontinence in most department stores. The local hospital supplies center will have wheelchairs, commodes, shower chairs and lifting devices that are leased by medicare for home use in care giving.

• 5

  Accept help from family and friends. Research your community for the service and support systems already in place. Geriatric care managers are privately paid social workers who know the networks that are available. Home health care aides, on average, are paid $21 per hour, and adult day service averages $67 per day.