Mentally ILL in SNF's: Danger to the Elderly

Virgo_RN, BSN, RN · Mar 22, 2009

Heheh! I thought you meant Myocardial Infarction.

This article is not surprising at all. There is very little funding for mental health programs, and given the prevalence of mental illness, the supply-demand mismatch is astounding.

leslie :-D · Mar 22, 2009

this is just so pathetic.

i'm sure the staff aren't too happy about the influx of mentally ill/aggressive residents.

and these poor elderly!

damn it, this is their home!

they deserve more consideration and priority over those who are violent/aggressive.

dang.

leslie

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Mar 22, 2009

If the elderly and the younger mentally ill were placed on different wings they could avoid a lot of the problems.

Staffing is a huge factor, as always.

morte, LPN, LVN · Mar 22, 2009

this has been happening in housing for a while.....putting the mentally handicapped (ie ill) in with the physically handicapped or elderly......doesnt work there either....

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Mar 22, 2009

Go to Yahoo....horrible article about a 77 year old who was killed when his mentally ill young room mate smashed his head in with a radio. As we all try to make ends meet, let's not admit people who are dangerous!

Nascar nurse, ASN, RN · Mar 22, 2009

It is not always so easy to tell who is violent prior to admission. Don't know how your hospital is, but ours tends to "forget" to tell us some pretty important things at times. Once the resident has been admitted it becomes nearly impossible to get rid of them again. The psych hospitals might take them, but demand that you agree to readmit when their treatment is complete (seldom does the treatment make any real difference anyways). Other facilities won't take them either. I threw a fit at work several years ago when I was informed they were taking a 50ish convicted male sex offender - Told the ED he had gone totally insane himself to think this was reasonable.

oramar · Mar 22, 2009

There has been LTC nurses posting with increasing frequency here about their fears related to criminals being mixed in with the typical nursing home patients. This comes as no supprise to me.

I love my cat! · Mar 22, 2009

Mentaly Ill-Nursing Homes

Here is the link. Sometimes Yahoo! changes their articles so fast they can be hard to follow and find.

johnst10 · Mar 22, 2009

"Several forces are behind the trend, among them: the closing of state mental institutions and a shortage of hospital psychiatric beds. Also, nursing homes have beds to fill because today's elderly are healthier than the generation before them and are more independent and more likely to stay in their homes."

My first job as a new grad in 1984 was working in a ward for convicted well would have been convicted if they could have been tried), mentally ill patients with medical problems. These patients were crazy and really did not know what they had done. The horrible part was that the facility was closed by the State. Many of the pts ended up on the streets, some with family members who could not handle them and hospitals that had no idea at that time what to do with these people. It was sad and scary. :cry:

Nascar nurse, ASN, RN · Mar 22, 2009

My first job as a new grad in 1984 was working in a ward for convicted well would have been convicted if they could have been tried), mentally ill patients with medical problems. These patients were crazy and really did not know what they had done. The horrible part was that the facility was closed by the State. Many of the pts ended up on the streets, some with family members who could not handle them and hospitals that had no idea at that time what to do with these people. It was sad and scary.

And these people are now some 25 years older (ie: probably elderly).. guess where they are at now?

HippyGreenPeaceChick · Mar 22, 2009

The Elderly deserve far better

The Mentally ill deserve far better

I know legalize marijuana and prison populations will drop 30 percent. We can then change all those spaces into nice healthy psychiatric fully funded facilities. And the taxation of marijuana would fully pay for all of it to.