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EVALUATING A “STILL NEW” MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCE IN GALACIA, SPAIN

RAIMUNDO MATEOS

An Evalution of the Psychogeriatric Unit After 10 Years
This article outlines the programmatic philosophy of a new network of mental health resources available in Galicia and, generally, in Spain. The interdisciplinary team includes a psychiatrist, social worker, psychologist and gerontological physician, described as the first of its kind, was created by the Galician health authorities following the organization of the Galician mental health services. Galicia, a natural region at the northwestern Spanish corner, has a clear identity in the setting of the Spanish diversity in regard to historical, socio-economical, cultural and political perspectives. Galicia, with its own parliament, is one of the “Autonomías” of the Spanish State. Among its population of 2.7 million inhabitants, two-thirds live in the countryside, and of this segment 19 percent is older than 65 years.

History of the UPG
In recent years interest in psychogeriatrics has increased exponentially. Congresses and scientific meetings in geriatrics and mental health are taking place in Galicia, with applications specifically centered in the Galician due to its epidemiologic implications (Mateos & RodrÍguez, 1989), as well as its public health systems of organization (González, 1989; Jiménez Herrero, 1989). In the spring of 1991, with the patronage of various Spanish scientific academic and health care entities, the current psychiatrist-coordinator of the UPG visited various psychogeriatric assistance and investigative centers in the United Kingdom. In July of that year the UPG was formally created in a process that we may consider in three distinct stages as outlined below.

● Organizational (July to November of 1991). During this stage a new team developed the programmatic and philosophic memorandum of the unit, supported by the staff of the Psychiatric Service of the University Hospital.

● Initial Function. During this stage, various specific sub-programs of clinical activity were initialized.

● Evaluation and Consolidation. The current stage will create an evaluation of the programs started, after a long enough period of time to allow for a certain level of profundity to the evaluation.

With this approach we hope for two results: 1) Self-servingly, the consolidation of the unit within itself; and 2) the validation of a work model that will influence health care authorities to create other new units of this type.

Despite the relevant limitations of the PGU, we have brought a new model of work on the Galician psychogeriatric field in relation to the following aspects: 1) Reducing the delay in the attention to the elderly psychiatric patient, 2) giving a holistic orientation to the diagnosis and improving its precision from the psychiatric point of view; 3) starting the domiciliary assistance in geriatric psychiatry ameliorating the continuity of the care that was previously quasi non-existent; and 4) coordinating health with social resources, along with academic objectives.

Raimundo Mateos is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Santiago de Compostela and Coordinator of the Psychogeriatric Unit (UPG) of the University Hospital of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia1, Spain.

References
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Documento de Bases para a elaboración do Plan Galego de Saúde Mental. Cadernos de Psicoloxia 1988 nº4 (appendix). 

Gómez R. Envejecer: ¿Es una Enfermedad?. In: Mateos R, ed. Salud Mental y Envejecimiento. Santiago de Compostela: Cátedra de Enfermera Geriátrica, USC; 1993.

González E. Aspectos psicosociais das unidades de hospitalización xeriátrica e hospitales de dia. In: Actas del I Congreso da Sociedade Galega de Xerontolox¡a e Xeriatría. Orense: SGXX; 1991. p. 319-324.

Jiménez Herrero F. Presente y futuro de la Geriatría en Galicia. In: Actas del I Congreso de la Sociedade Galega de Xerontoloxía e Xeriatría. Orense: SGXX; 1991. p. 377-392.

Landeira P. Imbricación psicosomática en las enfermedades del anciano. In: Mateos R, ed. Salud mental y envejecimiento. Santiago de Compostela: Cátedra de Enfermera Geriátrica, USC.

Mateos R, Rodriguez A. Estudio de Epidemiologa Psiquiátrica en la Comunidad Gallega. Santiago de Compostela: Xunta de Galicia; 1989.

Mateos R, García MC, Camba MT, Gómez R, Sánchez P, Páramo M, Rodriguez A. Epidemiological, Clinical and Treatment implications of the Demential Syndromes in Galicia (Spain). Cadernos do IPUB (Brasil) 1997; nº10:133-155.

Mateos R, González F, Páramo M. García MC, Carollo MC, Rodríguez-López A. The Galicia Study of Mental Health of the Elderly I: general description of methodology. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatry Research 2000; 9(4):165-173.

Mateos R, Droux A, Páramo M, González F, Carrera I, Mazaira J, Guntín L, González P, García MC, Rodríguez-López A. The Galicia Study of Mental Health of the Elderly II: The use of the Galician DIS. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatry Research 2000; 9(4):174-182.

Mateos R. Unidad de Psicogeriatra: Memoria. Servicio de Psiquiatra, Hospital General de Galicia, Clnico Universitario (SERGAS). 1991. Unpublished document.

Mateos R, Camba MT, Gómez R, Landeira P. La Unidad de Psicogeriatría del Area de Salud. Un dispositivo asistencial novedoso en la red de Salud Mental de Galicia. In: Saúde Mental e Sociedade. Actas do 2º Congreso da Asociación Galega de Saúde Mental. Santiago de Compostela: AGSM; 1994. p. 259-275.

Mateos R. Formación específica en Psicogeriatría: necesidades y situación actual. Informaciones Psiquiátricas 2000; 162:335-40.

Rodríguez A. Unidades de Psicoxeriatría. In: Actas I Congreso Sociedade Galega de Xerontoloxía e Xeriatría. Orense: SGXX; 1991. p. 313-317.

Reprinted from IPA Bulletin Volume 19 Number 3