Geriatric Behavioral Health Care Unit
The aging process often causes many physical, emotional and cognitive challenges for older adults. These challenges may lead to depression and isolation, anxiety, physical and emotional adjustments, issues with substance abuse, and the lack of appropriate nutrition. Families often struggle to find the resources to help improve the quality of life for loved ones who are facing these challenges.
Geriatric services is a growing need in the Chicagoland area. Gottlieb Memorial Hospital is one of the few hospitals to offer an inpatient program dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of adults 65 years and older.
Hope and Direction
Gottlieb’s Geriatric Behavioral Health Care Unit is a 12-bed, Medicare-certified service designed to diagnose and treat the complex problems related to individuals 65 years and older. Medical and clinical professionals provide a team approach to develop individualized treatment plans based on comprehensive diagnostic procedures. Once a problem is diagnosed, the team charts out a recovery process to help the patient and family. Our goal is to maintain and improve each patient’s self-respect and dignity. We strive to return patients to their homes within nine to twelve days.
Learn more about what you can do about depression.
Program Content
In group and individual sessions, our program focuses on the stressful issues associated with aging such as grief, loneliness, coping with illness or physical disability, changing roles and status, death and dying, conflicts with adult children and aggression due to multiple medications.
Diagnoses treated include:
- Dementia with related behavioral and/or emotional conditions
- Mood disorders, including major depression and bipolar disorder
- Anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and post traumatic stress disorder
- Concurrent chemical abuse/dependency or substance withdrawal
- Schizophrenia
- Special Service
Free initial assessment:
A mental health professional will conduct a free initial assessment to determine an individual’s needs for treatment.
In addition, you can take our free online Geriatric Behavorial Health Questionnaire.
Diagnosis:
Our health-care team will provide a comprehensive evaluation of the patient’s physical and mental condition to form the basis for diagnosis and treatment planning.
Referral and Follow Up:
Our staff offers resources and referral if we determine our program is not appropriate for you or your loved one.
Each patient admitted and treated in our Geriatric Behavioral Health Care Unit will receive follow-up care to monitor any situation that might be cause for concern, for up to one year.
Program Features:
- Comprehensive medical and psychological evaluation
- Individualized treatment plan
- Individual, group and family therapy
- Activity therapy
- Therapeutic exercise/stress reduction
- Medication management and education
Warning Signs of Possible Behavioral Health Problems
The first sign that something is wrong often occurs when a person suddenly stops caring for himself. If you know of someone 65 or older who is experiencing any of these symptoms, please contact the Gottlieb Memorial Hospital Geriatric Behavioral Health Care Unit for a free, confidential assessment at (708) 681-7891.
- Depression or personality changes
- Numerous, unexplained physical ailments/changes in eating/sleeping patterns
- Confused thinking, inability to concentrate and/or memory loss
- Excessive fears, anxieties or suspiciousness
- Withdrawal from family, friends and others
- Abuse of alcohol/medications
- Growing inability to cope with daily living resulting in unsafe behaviors
- Hallucinations
Gottlieb provides a team of professional behavioral health staff to offer quick and easy access to the unit, 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling (708) 681-7891. Caring staff assists patients in identifying behavioral health issues or answers questions and offering information about behavioral health services, appointment scheduling, patient assessments, pre-certification of patients prior to admission and information about other services available within the patient’s community.