The hospitalization of an elderly person often precipitates a series of decisions that have profound implications for mental health. Particularly when the hospitalization is associated with a physical or mental impairment, plans must often be made for some type of long-term care. These decisions usually are made under severe stress occasioned by injury or increasing impairment. All of the alternatives may entail difficulties or risks, furthering the psychological stress. A sense of urgency typically accompanies discharge from the hospital and this may interfere with usual patterns of problem-solving. Moreover, the extent to which the elderly patient participates in arriving at a decision may be limited by the circumstances under which plans are made. Since these profoundly important decisions about long-term care are often made under less than ideal conditions in the hospital, the outcome in terms of the mental health and well-being of the elderly person is problematic. This study will seek answers to two questions concerning these issues: 1. What factors affect the degree to which elderly, hospitalized patients are involved in making decisions about long-term care? 2. What are the effects of involvement in this decision-making on their mental health in the long-term care setting? This research will describe the involvement of currently hospitalized elderly patients in planning for long-term care and identify those factors that facilitate active involvement of the elderly individual in making these decisions. The study will then examine the effects of various levels of involvement or lack thereof on the mental health of the patient after discharge.
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