Inpatient Geriatric Psychiatry
The Medical-Geriatric Psychiatric team is dedicated to treating our elderly, medically fragile patients requiring hospital-level neuropsychiatric assessment and care. Patients are admitted with a full spectrum of neuropsychiatric illnesses, such as serious mood disorders, psychotic disorders, memory disorders, and cerebral lesions impacting their ability to function. It is staffed by a team consisting of a board-certified geriatric psychiatrist, a resident in training, a psychiatric social worker specializing in older adults, nurses, occupational and recreational therapists, and support staff. Consulting medical and surgical subspecialties are available for prompt and helpful enhancement of our comprehensive assessments.
The team is uniquely skilled at completing assessments and intervening in highly complex cases involving the interplay of medical, neuropsychiatric, and psychosocial factors. Some commonly addressed problems include impaired activities of daily living, cognitive disorganization, and disruptive behaviors.
Services include:
- Neuropsychiatric diagnostic examination, medical history, and physical examination
- Psycho-pharmacological evaluation and management
- Brief psychotherapeutic visits
- Family education and support
- Safety and independent living skills evaluation
- Occupational and recreational therapy
- Physical therapy
- Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
Discharge planning and collaboration with patients and outpatient treatment providers, families, and community agencies facilitates an integrated approach and establishes comprehensive transition plans that promote patients’ optimal functioning.
Patient and Visitor Information
We hope the following information answers any questions you may have about personal belongings, visitation, phone calls, etc. We created this information page to orient you to our unit and to help with our first priority: providing a comfortable, therapeutic and confidential environment for our patients and visitors. Please let us know if we can answer any other questions.
We are a smoke-free environment. Nicotine patches and other nicotine resources are available upon request.
Personal Belongings
If you need to come to the Emergency Room for a crisis evaluation and you have time to prepare, please bring the following items, and note that all belongings will be searched:
- Insurance cards
- Medication lists
- Eyeglasses
If you are being admitted, you are permitted:
- Slip on shoes are preferable as all shoe laces will be removed
- Comfortable clothing for three to five days, robe and pajamas
- Toiletries (no razors, glass, or sharp objects)
Visitation
All items brought by visitors must be left at the desk so that nursing staff can search them.
- Monday through Friday 5 to 7 p.m.
- Saturday and Sunday 1 to 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 to 8 p.m. (this includes: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day)
- All other holidays 5 to 7 p.m.
- Two visitors at a time per patient
- Children visiting must be 12 years or older
- You may be visited by your clergy, lawyer, or physician at any time
Exceptions to our visiting policy should be prearranged with the treatment staff. We will make every effort to accommodate individual circumstances that are therapeutic to our patients’ hospitalization.
All items for the patient should be left at the nursing desk. They must be searched by the staff first. Any potentially dangerous or restricted items will be sent home or placed in a locked cabinet. Please note that the following items are not permitted:
- Tobacco products and smoking material
- Glass or metal cans
- Alcohol, drugs or non-approved medication
- Cell phones, laptops and other electronic devices
- Plastic containers
- Flowers without thorns may be in wet paper towel but no vases or containers
Patient Phones
- Phones will not be in use during scheduled groups and activities
- Patients may receive calls at the following number: 860-679-3522
Patients may send and receive mail at the hospital address:
Patient Name
UConn John Dempsey Hospital
Connecticut Tower, 1st Floor
263 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT 06030-1325