Our Program
Our program is designed to provide stabilization and individualized care in a safe, supportive environment and includes:
- Comprehensive evaluation
- Diagnosis and symptom stabilization
- Daily psychiatric assessment
- Medical management of secondary medical conditions
- 24-hour nursing care
- Family education and support
- Individual, group, and activity therapies
- Discharge planning and coordination of follow up care
An individualized treatment plan is developed for each patient upon admission. Prior to discharge, our team will explore and recommend appropriate settings and resources to assist the patient based on his or her level of functioning
Your Care Team
Summit Healthcare’s staff recognizing the specialized needs of older adults whose behavioral and/or emotional issues are often complicated by co-existing medical, social, and economic factors. Our highly skilled staff provides focused and compassionate care.Your care team includes:
- Psychiatrist
- Medical physicians
- Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner
- Social workers
- Nursing staff
- Activity therapist
- Occupational therapist
- Available upon individual treatment plan need:
- Physical therapists
- Dietitian
Senior Adults Experience Many Life Changes
Often these changes are due to the loss of loved ones, declining physical health and loss of independence. Acute and chronic illnesses may complicate and contribute to major life changes that can be overwhelming. These events can trigger depression, anxiety and other severe psychiatric symptoms that may require treatment by specially trained psychiatric physicians, psychiatric nurse practitioners, nurses and therapists.The Senior Behavioral Health Unit at Summit Healthcare is designed as a 12 bed short-term inpatient treatment program for adults 55 and over who are experiencing severe behavioral and/or emotional symptoms.
The following are common life changes that can trigger symptoms and need for specialized psychiatric intervention:
- Physical disability – long-term illness
- Dementia-causing illness
- Physical illnesses that can affect thought, memory, and emotion
- Change of environment like moving out of a family home
- Illness or loss of a loved one
- Medication interactions
- Alcohol or substance abuse
- Poor diet or malnutrition
Symptoms that may indicate the need for treatment:
- Sad or depressed mood lasting longer than two weeks
- Social withdrawal; loss of interest in things that used to be enjoyable
- Onset of confusion, disorientation, problems with concentration or decision-making
- Increase or decrease in appetite; changes in weight
- Memory loss, especially abrupt recent or short-term memory problems
- Feelings of worthlessness or thoughts of suicide
- Agitation, aggression, threats/attempts to hard others
- Hallucinations or delusional thoughts
- Loss of interest in personal appearance/hygiene
- Refusing to take prescribed medications.
How can we help?
Patients are referred to Summit Healthcare’s Senior Care Unit from skilled nursing centers, senior housing, primary care providers, other healthcare professionals, family members and patient self-referral. Referrals for admission are accepted 24 hours/7 days a week. Call 928-537-6890
