DEPARTMENT OF GERIATRICS

Geriatric services were started as early as 1982. Back then, Geriatrics was merged with Rehabilitation Unit to form a section in the Department of Medicine. As the number of patients increased and other types of services were later introduced, the department was subsequently established in 1993.

The Department of Geriatrics provides health care programs for the elderly and disabled members of the society. The adoption of some meaningful continuing-care-programs have helped improve the life of the elderly and the disabled.

The inpatient service, in particular, provide nursing and medical care to patients who, although not suffering from acute illness, still require care from a professional medical team either because of their debilitating condition or for social reasons, and are therefore kept in the Long Term Care Unit to make their life better.The Day Care Clinic, started in 1985, is a service specifically intended for the elderly and designed to improve, if not restore, the normal functioning of the physical faculties and delay bodily deterioration.

Another service being offered is the Home Health Program, under which home visitations are made by a team of a physician and a nurse to terminally ill patients. By conducting home visitations, elderly and disabled patients are cared in the comforts of their homes and spared the stress and discomforts that usually comes with hospital visitations. This program has been recently established and has proven to be successful. Demand for this service is growing. Families are relieved of their anxieties and less hesitant to take their relatives home. The program has also helped reduce re-admission of these patients through Accident and Emergency. If, however, care can no longer be ensured in the confines of their residences, their admission to the hospital becomes necessary.

The care given to patients both in hospital and at home is without doubt excellent and compares favorably with those in the developed countries. The services that the department offers have helped the elderly and disabled to achieve a certain degree of self-sufficiency and relative independence. It is worthwhile mentioning that the first geriatric service in the Gulf region was started in Qatar.

Statistics

Outpatient clinic visits have steadily increased over the years. In 1997, clinic visits totaled 624 in the Geriatric Department which represents a slight increase over 1996 total visits which numbered 576.

Facilities

Geriatrics Department started with a 76-bed facility for the treatment and rehabilitation of elderly and disabled patients. In 1985, an additional ward of 24 beds was constructed and facilities were improved.

The Department of Geriatrics currently offers a 100-bed inpatient facility. The bed occupancy ratio remains at 100 percent with more patients in the waiting list. Wait-listed patients are either admitted in Hamad General Hospital or confined at home and supervised under the Home Health Care program.

Future Plans

There is at present a clear shortage of bed facilities for inpatients. One of the projects in the pipeline is the construction of an additional 100-bed facility in 1997. The number of staff will be expanded to complement the expansion in facilities and service.