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A Group Treatment Program Combined with a Work Project on the Geriatric Unit of a State Hospital
Author(s) -
McNIEL JESSE N.,
VERWOERDT ADRIAN
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1972.tb00808.x
Subject(s) - medicine , unit (ring theory) , state hospital , geriatric care , interpersonal communication , neuroticism , interpersonal relationship , geriatrics , gerontology , nursing , family medicine , psychiatry , personality , psychology , social psychology , mathematics education
This report concerns the accomplishments of a “buddy” system whereby 33 psychiatric inpatients worked with the patients on a Geriatric Unit of a state hospital. The effort seemed worthwhile because it resulted in better care for the elderly and improvement in staff morale. The best workers were middle‐aged neurotic females. All the workers preferred tasks that did not involve interpersonal relationships with the old people. The program was a catalyst for group therapy and provided clues for the problems of human maturation and for the training of those who work with the elderly.