Arch. Geronwl. Geriatr., 5 (1986) 33-39 33 Elsevier AGG 00134 A survey of elderly patients admitted to hospital for social reasons Christina R. Victor and Norman J. Vetter Research Team for The Care of the Elderly. University of Wales College of Medicine. St. Davids Hospital, Cardiff, UK (Received 9 September 1985; revised version received 18 November 1985, accepted 20 November 1985) Summary A random 4~ sample of the over 65's discharged from general hospitals throughout Wales was selected from Welsh Office HAA returns. Included within the group were 101 patients admitted for social reasons (ICD code V600 to V6055). Such patients were predominantly very elderly, female and extremely disabled. Typically such patients lived with, and were being cared for, by relatives. The majority of admissions were booked or planned to provide relief to these carets. Geographical variations in the use of such care was demonstrated. Use of domiciliary medical services by these patients was extremely high in contrast to their use of domiciliary social services. Mortality and re-admission rates at 3 months and 12 months after the initial discharge were very high and hospital treatment had little influence upon patients" disability. However, the short mean length of stay suggests that such patients do not "block beds'. elderly: social admission Introduction It is recognised that some elderly people are admitted to hospital for social rather than medical reasons. Four per cent of patients in a recent survey of the elderly after discharge from hospital had been admitted to hospital primarily for social reasons. Very little is known about the characteristics of such patients; how long they stay in hospital; how they fare after discharge and what use they make of community services. This paper describes the characteristics of a sample of such patients derived from a wider observational study of the elderly after discharge from hospital (Victor, 1984). Patients admitted for social reasons are compared with a random sample of all elderly discharged from hospital. Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr. Christina R. Victor, Department of Community Health, The University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Clifton Blvd., Nottingham, NG7 2UH. UK. 0167-4943/86/$03.50 ~ 1986 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. (Biomedical Division)