Health Care

Within the health care arena there is a growing concern about the needs of the elderly.   Families


wonder if their loved ones are getting the proper care that they need   With the growing costs of health care


and the decreasing resources of primary care physicians it is feared that only the physical needs of the


patient are met.   Concerns rise about the social psychological and environmental needs or the elderly.   A


study by Barbara Berkman and associates tries to provide some answers to people concerned with this issue


According to the study many people are not aware of the social services they may have available


to them.   Because of this, many elderly people are not getting the care they need outside of the physical


care necessary to "live."   It is felt that screening a patient for social or emotional needs is becoming


increasingly important.   The focus of this study was to devise a questionnaire to identify the psychological,


social and environmental needs of elderly patients.  


Three hospitals from different geographic locations were chosen for this study.   At each hospital a


care coordinator was chosen to be responsible for questionnaire review, communication with physicians,


and further assessment and intervention when deemed necessary.   Lists of patients 65 and older were


generated from the caseloads of primary care physicians from the three hospital sites.   The questionnaires


were mailed out with physicians cover letters and consent forms in the summer of 1993.   In the


questionnaire patients were asked to assess their self-percieved notions of there medical and psychosocial


needs, as well as the level of their functioning.   Upon reciept of the completed questionnaires the care


coordinators from each hospital assess the results of the survey.   Those patients assessed as being high risk  


received follow up phone...