Elderly
I have a special interest in geriatric psychiatry and have developed a relationship with the staff at Aegis Corte Madera, Aldersly, Rafael Convalescent Hospital, Windchime among others. I have found that working with frail elderly in their own environment, in collaboration with their families and caregivers, to be a very effective way to offer symptom relief for people whose ability to function independently has become limited. Depression, anxiety, dementia and delirium are common and challenging problems and the opportunity to make a real difference in people’s lives is very exciting. The present generation of assisted living and nursing home residents is not one that has rarely had a positive experience of mental health care or much comfort with psychological self expression. They of course can suffer just as awfully. This is particularly painful to observe when other abilities have begun to fade. It never ceases to amaze me however that relief from psychiatric symptoms in the very old population can lead to remarkable overall improvements.