The private pavilion in a modern home for the aged. Notes on eight years of medical experience

1. 1. The facilities and modus operandi of the Private Pavilion of The Home for Aged and Infirm Hebrews of New York are described. 2. 2. The first 300 admissions to the Private Pavilion between July 1950 and 1 January 1959 are analysed as to age, sex, origin in the community, functional status at time of admission, medical care, reasons for discharge, mortality and duration of stay. 3. 3. Six brief case reports of private pavilion residents are presented. 4. 4. Our experience indicates that an open private pavilion can be operated as part of the facilities of a modern home for the aged for the benefit of individuals with a wide range of severe, disabling illness on a long term basis. 5. 5. Only a small number of transfers to general hospitals were necessitated for the provision of services such as surgery and radiotherapy which are not available at the institution. The majority of such transfers were temporary and of short duration. 6. 6. Individuals with mild to moderate degrees of mental disturbance can be managed successfully in this type of facility. 7. 7. A high postmortem rate demonstrated that a high degree of diagnostic accuracy is possible under these conditions. 8. 8. With the passage of time applicants for the facility have become progressive!v older and afflicted with more severe and debilitating illnesses, which have been successfully managed with increasing experience and understanding on the part of the professional staff, nurses, social workers, physicians and administrators.