Abstract
Psychiatry of mental handicap in Ontario
Highlights
Three of the patients in Part III Homes were coping very badly and the other three were being cared for only because of the devotion of the care staff
One case illustrates the problems all too clearly. This lady had been on the waiting list since October 1986,when it was said by the visiting consultant psychiatrist that the home could not be expected to cope with her incontinence and wandering
Of the patients on other wards, two were in acute geriatric beds and two had been very kindly accepted by the geriatricians for long-term care. Both these patients were profoundly demented they had been on our waiting list for so long,that they had been overtaken by physical frailty
Summary
While I would agree with Dr Blessed that hospital care may not be ideal, it does fulfil some of this need. There is no reason why hospital could not be made more comfortable and attractive for patients and their relatives. It may have some advantages, as these most severely ill patients have access to 24 hour medical cover and arc often nursed by dedicated staff. I fear the stigma attached to long-stay hospital wards will follow the patients into the nursing homes. Relatives will again be reluctant to place their demented family member in such a setting
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