| Summary: | The elderly should be evaluated by multidisciplinary teams in which the social worker participation is imperative. A descriptive study was conducted in order to propose an action plan for improving team care for elderly inpatients with chronic psychiatric disorders in the Psychiatric Hospital of the Municipality of Santa Clara, Villa Clara province, during the period from January 1 to June 20, 2011. The study included all diagnosed and hospitalized elderly patients with chronic psychiatric illness, 31 patients (100%). The research was conducted according to ethical standards, the data collected were taken to a data file, and tables of distribution and frequency with absolute and relative values were created. Female predominance was noted among the findings, and that the most common ages are between 60 and 74 years. Only a minority of the examined patients were dependent for the activities of daily living. Hypertension and diabetes mellitus were the most frequently associated chronic diseases. Schizophrenia and dementia were the most prevalent psychiatric diseases, and social and psychosocial diagnoses were predominant. The main actions proposed were aimed towards a better care of the elderly inpatient suffering from chronic psychiatric illness.
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