St. Anne’s creates unit for older psych patients

FALL RIVER – Aiming to meet the needs of older psychiatric patients, many of whom have accompanying medical conditions, St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River has created a new Geriatric Psychiatry Program, the only inpatient program of its kind in the area.
The 16-bed unit provides comprehensive medical and psychiatric treatment in a secure environment, with private rooms, soothing colors and art work, and features such as a “quiet zone” and a sensory room for music therapy, aromatherapy and more. It was built by Consigli Construction Co. at a cost of $1.5 million, the hospital said.
Psychiatric disorders affect a large number of seniors – one in five, according to the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry. In Bristol County, 902 patients aged 60 and older were admitted for inpatient psychiatric care in fiscal 2007, according to state figures.
The unit will admit patients whose primary diagnosis is psychiatric, such as anxiety, agitation, depression, confusion, delusions, etc., but who may also have medical conditions. The typical length of stay is seven to 10 days, hospital officials said. &#8226