ABSTRACT
Reality orientation, a “psychological treatment approach in treating the problems of confused elderly people” and “the most widely researched of the psychological approaches to confusion,” 1 began in 1958 as a pilot rehabilitation program in one unit at Winter Veterans Administration Hospital, Topeka, Kansas. From a 24-year retrospective, we recognize that the strict medical model of geriatric care is only the core of effective programming for elderly and other clients with multiple problems who need long-term care or support.
