ABSTRACT
While it would be nice to have a mental health consultant available to evaluate all new admissions to LTC, Medicare does not pay for screening. Furthermore, not all LTC facilities have mental health consultants, and even when they do, managed care companies or attending physicians sometimes refuse to authorize their services. For these reasons, social workers and nurses must often do their own version of an abbreviated mental status exam. Since cognitive impairment and depression are the two most common mental problems in LTC residents, it is most important to assess these two areas.
