Shelter-based services in Massachusetts for homeless adult individuals.

A statewide survey (response rate = 79.5%), conducted in Massachusetts of the emergency shelters for homeless individuals, found that most of the shelters provided a range of services in addition to a bed. The most common of these were food, clothing, and referral for more permanent housing and information on employment opportunities.

Therapy termination and persistence patterns of elderly clients in a community mental health center.

Analyses were conducted on 180 community and nursing home clients, ages 60 to 98, who received psychotherapy as part of a community mental health center program. Case records were reviewed to identify factors associated with persistence in therapy and dropout patterns. Very few (less than 12%) terminated therapy appropriately (as judged by the therapist), about 59% completed at least 10 sessions, and a majority of the community residents themselves initiated termination.

Attitudes of nursing and rest home administrators toward deinstitutionalized elders with psychiatric disorders.

The administrators of 92 nursing homes and rest homes in western Massachusetts were surveyed on their experiences with elderly residents with a history of psychiatric hospitalization and their willingness to admit such individuals in the future. A majority of those who had admitted deinstitutionalized elders with chronic psychiatric disorders reported having experienced severe problems with them. Most of the problems involved the resident going into crisis or producing some highly disruptive behavior.