No abstract

In-home psychiatric services for the elderly are a necessary alternative to traditional forms of mental health care delivery for the comorbid medically ill, the psychiatrically homebound, and those noncompliant with standard outpatient care. This article discusses the different models of in-home psychiatric services. The current Medicare guidelines defining eligibility exclude a sizable proportion of individuals in need of these services. Randomized clinical trials demonstrating the efficacy of in-home psychiatric care in the elderly have not yet been conducted.