Practical Psychiatry in the Long-Term Care Home

This is a practical book, aimed at providing training and guidance for staff members in long-term care facilities. The goal is to help staff understand and solve the wide range of psychiatric and behavioral problems which are encountered on a day-to-day basis. Numerous clinical illustrations are presented.

This material is invaluable for all team members: nurses, physicians, social workers, psychologists, and occupational therapists. It is especially helpful for frontline health care aides who work most closely with the residents, and for supervisors and administrators. As a result, it also serves as a useful tool for teaching students. The emphasis is on training all members of the staff to provide the highest quality of care, in the most cost-effective and productive manner.

Most of the authors have worked together at Baycrest (a large university affiliated, multilevel geriatric center, which has an international reputation for its excellence in the care of the elderly) or at other University of Toronto teaching hospitals.

"This excellent handbook on geriatric mental health provides the knowledge base to all staff members in direct contact with residents who should be aware of the mental health disorders of late life. The book conveys the message that nursing home residents can experience, in spite of their disabilities, improved quiality of life if their mental health needs are met... The book's 20 chapters are conveniently arranged and cover a broad range of relevant topics for everyday care... This book should definitely be read by anyone interested in long-term care with a maximum of autonomy and sense of self for the resident."
Vjera Holthoff in Journal of Public Health, 2008, Vol 16

"This work has evolved over a number of years. The text is clear, clinically relevant, and in many ways fulfils Ira Katz’s description of the Handbook in the foreword, “as a toolkit.” The book is very well laid out and a pleasure to read, with the text broken in many places by “key points,” tables, and case illustrations. The writing style is clear and remarkably consistent given that this is a multi-authored text... there is something for virtually every practitioner in this book."
Dan G. Blazer, MD, PhD, in the Journal of Psychiatric Practice Vol. 14, No. 5, 2008

"...an essential resource in nursing homes and other aged care facilities all over the world... This beautifully presented offering is the most comprehensive, readable and useful... In my view, this is more than a handbook to refer to when specific situations or problems are encountered. Given the wealth of illustrative cases, those aiming to educate staff (of various disciplines) will be able to work through the chapters in successive focussed discussion groups... I strongly recommend that all aged care facilities purchase the 2007 revision for their staff to use in education sessions and to refer to when deciding how best to deal with a problem or situation. Those who provide clinical advice (community teams and visiting GPs) and LTC administrators would also be wise to have the book readily available."
John Snowdon in International Psychogeriatrics, 2008, Vol. 20

"This is a wonderful text for medical and non-medical staff working in long-term care settings. I know of no other single source manual which is so comprehensive in range, yet so easy to read and access critical information. The successful previous edition has been revised and interesting new chapters on topics such as group psychotherapy and sexuality have been added."
Bruce G. Pollock, MD, PhD, FRCPC, President Elect, American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry; Professor & Head, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, University of Toronto.

"...an excellenthandbook for different diagnoses, interventions, treatments, and potentialissues surrounding this complex group of individuals... The authors do awonderful job of supporting the detailed text with case illustrations, examplesof approaches, and recommendations... The book is very well organized and is freeof any real shortcomings... This book avoids the pitfall [of jargon that is confusing] and is easy to read and apply to real-life situations... The supportive illustrations/examples are clearly written and identify practical approaches"
Sharon G. Thomas, BSN (University of Missouri-Columbia) in Doody's Book Review

From the reviews of previous editions
"This is an excellent book. The authors have managed to summarize the key components in the delivery of mental health treatment in the long-term care setting in a concise and easy to use format. This handbook is a must for nursing directors and administrators planning teaching curricula for their staff. [It] should be required reading for any psychiatrist starting a nursing home practice. A very helpful teaching tool for psychiatric residents..."
Susan K. Ball, MD, Section Chief of Geriatrics, Crozer Chester Medical Center, Upland, PA, in Psychosomatics 43(1), 91-92.

"The abundant use of clinical examples enhances the information provided. This book is an excellent resource for junior residents. Chapter two is one of the best reviews of conducting the mental status examination (MSE) that I have ever read."
S. Northcott, MD, FRCPC, St. Joseph's Health Care, London, Ontario.Annals RCPSY 35(2), 117.

"Practical Psychiatry in the Long-Term Care Facility is an outstanding manual written for staff education and training. […] geriatric psychiatrists will find this a most useful resource due to the concise description of syndromes and the summaries of management strategies. [It] is a well written, informative book … with very concise chapters relating to the most important issues of long-term care."
Frank W. Brown, MD, MBA, Wesley Woods Geriatric Hospital, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GeorgiaJournal of Clinical Psychiatry 63(6), 541-542.

From the Foreword
“Why should there be a ‘Handbook for Staff’ on practical psychiatry in the long term care facility? The answer is easy: It’s because the overwhelming majority of nursing home residents have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder, most often a dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease, or depression, usually as a complication of disabling medical conditions…This Handbook is an important book… For nurses, administrators, and social workers [it] should be required reading. For the nursing assistants or aides who have the most frequent direct contact with residents, it is even more critical.”
Ira R. Katz, MD, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania; Director, Section of Geriatric Psychiatry and Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Philadelphia VA Medical Center