The Geriatric Psychiatry Program at the Douglas Institute provides services to clients aged 65 and older and to adults younger than 65 with a geriatric profile.
The program covers psychiatric diagnoses such as:
- mood disorders
- anxiety disorders
- impulsivity disorders
- psychotic disorders
- cognitive disorders including dementia
Services provided
The program offers (2nd-line) general geriatric psychiatry services:
- Outpatient services: Evaluation-liaison team, Outpatient clinic and Transitional centre
- Inpatient services: Admission and Medical Unit and the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Unit
The program also provides a specialized 3rd line geriatric psychiatry service: the Program for Dementia with Psychiatric Comorbidity.
Access to services
Access to the different services of the program requires a referral from a doctor, which must be sent to the evaluation-liaison team.
Multidisciplinary teams
The different treatment teams are made up of psychiatrists, general practitioners, nurses, nursing assistants, psychologists, occupational therapists, social workers, beneficiary attendants, with consultation services of a dietician, a pharmacist, a physical therapist and a technician in physical rehabilitation
Each year the program receives students from different disciplines and from different teaching institutions.
Clinical Research
Researcher Natasha Rajah, PhD, conducts various research projects in collaboration with the program teams on such topics as:
- The role of biological markers of early cognitive impairment in the elderly (in collaboration with Vasavan Nair, MD)
- The role of light therapy in the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle
- The effects of a multisensory approach (Snoezelen room) on difficult behaviours associated with dementia (in collaboration with psychologist Hildegard Brack, PhD)
- The impact of cognitive retraining on the evolution dementia (in collaboration with clinical specialist nurse Céline Brunelle and neuropsychologist David Fontaine)
- The development of a database at the Moe Levin Memory Clinic (in collaboration with Vasavan Nair, MD, and Dolly Dastoor, PhD)
- The development of a fall risk assessment tool specifically for geriatric psychiatry patients, in collaboration with the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Unit team
Teaching Activities
Covering a range of aging-related themes, the teaching and knowledge transfer activities are provided to various clienteles:
- Staff working in our departments
- Patients
- Families
- Proprietors of residential resources (family-type residetnces)
- Trainees from various disciplines and organizations
- Different partners in the health and social services network (CLSC, CH, CHSLD, community organizations, medical clinics, family doctors)
These activities include a 2- to 3-day training program, Journal Club meetings, workshops, educational groups, discussion groups.
Workshops for patients and their families
A series of five training workshops for family caregivers are offered by the PDPC to improve quality of care along with patient and caregiver well-being:
- Neuropsychological assessment (memory, dementia and related diseases)
- The natural caregiver
- Communication and activities
- Dementia-related behaviour
- Legal aspects: mandate, will, and power of attorney
- Safety at home and residential services
Cognitive Retraining
The Cognitive Retraining Program is a type of behaviour therapy that aims at improving neurocognitive function. This program is made up of three components (relaxation and Tai-Chi, memory and memorization strategies, and computer-aided stimulation) offered over twenty weeks.
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