Erlanger Behavioral Health Hospital is pleased to provide psychiatric services for patients of all life stages. Our mission is to support our patients and their families as they work to overcome their challenges and improve their quality of life.
Understanding Older Adult Care
Learn More About Older Adult Care at Erlanger Behavioral Health
The Erlanger staff understands the unique needs of senior adults in the treatment setting, and we are dedicated to providing the very finest in age-appropriate care.
Often, senior patients who need behavioral healthcare have complicating physical health concerns that must also be addressed in treatment. Erlanger provides a holistic blend of psychiatric and medical services to ensure that our older patients have the support they need to stabilize, heal, and look forward to a more independent tomorrow.
About Our Older Adult Inpatient Program
The older adult program at Erlanger is designed for patients who have a behavioral disturbance related to dementia, mood disturbance, loss or adjustment concerns, or other cognitive disorders.
Erlanger is able to admit patients on either a voluntary or involuntary basis. We accept referrals from a wide range of sources, including: individuals and families, physician offices, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, emergency departments, hospital medical units, and crisis response teams.
Some of the more common concerns we treat are:
- Cognitive impairment (e.g., Alzheimer’s, Dementia) with disturbance of mood and/or behavior
- Bipolar disorders
- Anxiety disorders
- Major depression
- Behaviors posing a potential danger to oneself or others
- Suicidal thoughts
- Mood swings
- Destructive anger
- Psychosis (seeing or believing things that are not real)
- Paranoia
- Inability to function in daily life due to stress
Our Treatment Modalities
Learn more about the treatment modalities offered at Erlanger Behavioral Health
Our specialized psychiatric program for senior adults includes the following elements:
Individual therapy: Licensed practitioners provide individual therapy as needed. Most individual counseling sessions occur with a social worker, and frequency is dependent upon clinical need.
Family therapy: Social workers provide as-needed family therapy. This service is used to increase the functionality of the family unit, encourage healthier communication, and heal family relationships.
Group therapy: Social workers, nursing, and adjunct staff members provide group therapy throughout the day. Topics include grief and loss, anger management, disease/disorder education, medication management, relationships, communication skills, stress management, healthy boundaries, guilt, and shame.
Medication management: Many senior adults require medications to manage their physical health and to stabilize their psychological well-being. All Erlanger patients will have access to medication management services during their stay.
Discharge planning: From the moment a patient enters the geriatric psychiatry unit at Erlanger, our treatment team will begin evaluating their needs and making a plan for discharge. Our staff knows that recovery is a lifelong process that extends beyond a patient’s time at our hospital. A thorough aftercare plan is put in place to support each patient’s continued success after leaving Erlanger.
Learn More
Contact us today to learn more about our older adult inpatient program
To learn more about the geriatric psychiatry unit at Erlanger Behavioral Health Hospital, contact us at your earliest convenience. We’re here to answer any questions you may have about this program or any other aspect of healing at Erlanger.
