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Show MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS Stanley F. Yolles, M.D. Director National Institute of Mental Health CAN AGED MENTAL PATIENTS BE HELPED? Can old people in mental hospitals be helped back to a more independent life and to useful work? Can they ever be brought to the point at which they can leave the hospital? For too long the answer has been no. Great progress has been made in rehabilitating other mentally ill and in reducing re-ducing the numbers of patients residing in state mental hospitals. hos-pitals. But the older people have not benefitted much. It has been too long assumed that more of them were in the mental institution in-stitution to vegetate for the rest of their lives and receive only custodial care. Now, however, it has been shown that even long-time, chronic patients in forgotten "back wards" can be helped. This has been achieved, on an experimental basis, in a large state hospital. In the trial program, a ward was set up as a sheltered workshop work-shop where patients would do useful work: make small auto parts, package chrome auto letters, let-ters, roll bandages, make gift items for sale. Nothing was done merely to "kill time." Everyone was paid for his work and kept and managed his money. Meantime, many changes were also made in their living quarters. Full-length mirrors were put up, as were calendars and wall clocks. Doors were painted bright colors. Long-locked doors were unlocked and left that way. Furniture was replaced re-placed with attractive, non-hospital non-hospital furniture. The dining room's long tables were replaced with small tables; and generally living for the aged patients became less and less institutionalized. They were allowed and encouraged en-couraged to wear regular clothes instead of hospital garb. Nurses and other staff wore street clothes, too. Men were given free access to shaving materials, ma-terials, including razors. Women had a place to wash and dry their hair; and they could go to the beauty parlor as well. There was a remarkable change in the old people from a sleepy, sitting-down, dull existence to a busy day of living. liv-ing. "Thank God for the workshop," work-shop," said one patient, "I'd go crazy without it." Results indicate that, despite frail health, some three-fourths of the elderly mental patients achieved a higher level of self-care self-care and independence than before. be-fore. Many of the group were able to return to work and leave the hospital. The older mental hospital patient can be helped a great deal when his problems are attacked at-tacked through an active program. |