Geriatric emergencies: psychiatric or medical?

Abstract

To determine how the elderly use the emergency room, emergency patients 65 yr old and older were compared with younger patients in terms of demographics, clinical factors, patterns of emergency room use and clinicians'' responses. Like younger patients, the elderly had scanty social supports but unlike younger patients came for care repeatedly with somatic complaints. Despite coexisting medical and psychiatric illnesses, these patients were generally managed by 1 service without consultation from the other. No differences in physicians'' attitudes toward younger and older patients were found and the need for a holistic, psychobiologic approach to the care of the elderly emergency patient was emphasized.