Functional assessment in evaluating a geriatric unit

The Negev geriatric service is based on the fundamental principle that the patient should be kept at home. To this end, medical and social service work hand in hand. Since all geriatric patients present a mixture of social and medical problems every patient undergoes a thorough social and medical evaluation, with emphasis on mental state and ability to function. To test the effectiveness of treatment, functional evaluations were made on admission and on discharge, it was found that 63% of hospitalized patients were improved. The results of this survey prove that geriatric services within the framework of a general hospital, based on inter disciplinary work and including community services, are of definite benefit.