Social welfare in the care of chronically ill psychiatric patients
Seyde, T.
Psychiatrische Praxis 27(Suppl 2): S89-S94
2000
ISSN/ISBN: 0303-4259 PMID: 11048329 Document Number: 515988
The article shows the development of the long-stay departments at the psychiatric hospitals in Eastern Germany from the perspective of a local government. Against the apparently increasing scepticism of concepts of de-institutionalisation, the example of the city Leipzig is used to show how the process of reintegrating residents of long-stay institutions can be supported, and how decentralized out-patient psychosocial services--which can also be used by the community inhabitants--can be built up at the same time. Reference is also made to the well-developed out-patient services and clearly structured treatment offers for the inpatient sector which have already existed in the city before the political changes in Eastern Germany. Further, the role of the local Social Welfare Office in the realization of de-institutionalisation projects will be outlined.