Discharging older adults with a severe and chronic mental illness in the community.

In recent years, a deinstitutionalization movement has been occurring in Canadian psychiatric institutions. Occupational therapists, experts in evaluating occupational performance, are key contributors to the selection of appropriate community housing environments. This study describes the global functioning, performance in activities of daily living, social behavior, cognitive status, and quality of life of 33 older adults with a severe and chronic mental illness, who were transferred from a psychiatric hospital to community facilities between 1995 and 1998.