Where is Psychiatry for the Elderly located?
Old Age Psychiatry and PsychEL are based in the Martha Whiteway Day Hospital (MWDH) which can be found on the Ground Floor of Mercer’s Institute for Successful Ageing (MISA) at St. James’s Hospital.
How do I get to the hospital?
The 123 Bus passes through the grounds of St James’s Hospital and stops close to the main hospital entrance. From the City Centre, the 78A, 51 and 51B stop at the James’s Street entrance. The 19 stops on the South Circular Road close to the Rialto entrance. The red line LUAS also stops in the St. James’s Hospital campus. Access to MISA is also possible from the Fatima LUAS stop.
Car parking is limited in the hospital. There is an underground public car park in the middle of the hospital campus that is a 5-10 minute walk to Mercer’s Institute for Successful Ageing. Follow the signs from the main hospital concourse to MISA. The hospital has recently partnered with Thomas Street Car Park to facilitate additional car parking for short-stay outpatient attendances. The car park is located 12 minutes (1km) away on foot and is serviced by Dublin Bus route 123 (every 10 minutes during peak hours). For more information regarding the best way to get to the hospital please click here
What mental health issues are older people vulnerable to?
Older people are vulnerable to the same mental health problems as the general population. The most common conditions seen in this age group include:
- Depression, which has a prevalence of 5-40% in the older population
- Anxiety is also common and often co-exists with depression
- Psychosis occurs less commonly but is often seen in the context of depression or dementia
- Dementia
What happens in the Martha Whiteway day hospital?
We provide person-centered care, using multi-disciplinary assessment and management of mental health problems. We support people who are in crisis or undergoing a relapse.
Activities and interventions are available to match the needs of the patient. This includes group therapy for management of specific mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression or memory difficulties, and skills training to maintain quality of life and independence. Individual therapy, such as bereavement therapy, is also available.
Each patient receives an individually customised care plan, drawn up early in the admission by our multi-disciplinary team, which includes a discharge plan, ensuring that rehabilitation and recovery are the focus of the admission.