Elderly Mental Health Housing

Posted on 3/25/2011 by The Bridge

Little attention has been focused on elderly mental health housing. Older persons who have serious mental illness with co-occurring serious medical conditions require integrated mental health and health care that comprehensively addresses their complex needs for an improved life. In the Spring 2011 edition of Mental Health News, Peter Beitchman, Executive Director of The Bridge, writes about the achievements of our Sheridan Hill House for elderly and the psychiatrically and medically frail as a model for success.


As opposed to a typical nursing home, the elderly mental health housing model of the Sheridan Hill House costs only $23,000 per resident annually, which is a small fraction of the $130,000 average annual cost of a nursing home in New York City. As a cost-containment model, the program has documented a sharp decrease in the number of emergency room visits and inpatient hospitalizations by residents. The rate of missed medical appointments is currently close to zero and there is a very high rate of medication and treatment compliance. Many residents whose health was previously highly unstable have been maintained in the residence without significant medical emergencies.



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