ABSTRACT
The administrative details need to be clarified, including the identification of patients, the two-phase process of screening - screening questionnaire and socio-medical assessment -including where and how the screening is to be offered. The Community Care Act has given social services a very important role in care of the elderly and their incorporation in the team is vital. Health care and social workers must try to find common ground in assessing medical and social needs, even if their basic approach is different. The geriatric health visitor (GHV) will take the patient through the checklist, covering the current social and health service use and the additional input required. The GHV will then review the patient's home environment, personal hygiene and diet. High scores returned in emotional, sleep and bereavement categories should trigger the use of BASDEC self-assessment cards or the Geriatric Depression Rating Scale to help uncover previously unsuspected depression. The nurse then administers the abbreviated mental test to review cognition.
