Use of an age related admission policy in establishing a new department of medicine for the elderly.

Possible admission policies when initiating new Departments of Medicine for the Elderly are discussed. We report the results of a new acute unit where an age related policy was used in an area with no prior contact with the speciality. Six hundred and fifty-one acute medical admissions aged 80 years and over were treated in the unit's first year. Average age was 84.6 years with an average stay of 8.6 days. 54% were discharged directly home with a further 17% going home after rehabilitation. Only 12% eventually needed continuing nursing care. 9.4% of the patients died. We conclude that Medicine for the Elderly is highly effective if allowed access to patients from the point of admission rather than on a take-over basis. It is suggested that an age-related policy is appropriate when setting up new departments unless there is a clear indication for an alternative policy.