| Sumario: | Critical review of geriatric psychotherapy finds few existing resources and predicts steadily increasing scarcity. Without changes, resources will soon be hopelessly inadequate. One solution is to shift supportive therapy to low-tech techniques suitable for random settings and paraprofessionals, thus freeing skilled therapists and facilities. Meeting these criteria, 10 weeks of treatments combining reminiscence, reorientation, reality therapy, focused imagery, and group discussion was administered by audiotape to geriatric care home residents in small groups. Treated mean weekly self-ratings significantly increased for categories of Health, Mental, Fun, Appetite, and Future, as did objective scores for Number Cancellation, Paper Form Board, and Sticks Construction. Control subjects declined in objective performance and differed little in pre- and post-self-ratings. The results demonstrate an effective low-tech therapy suitable for paraprofessionals in ad hoc settings. This can facilitate reallocation of skilled therapists' time among care facilities, thereby assisting resolution of the presently serious shortage of this scarce geriatric resource. Copyright (c) 1999 by Aspen Publishers, Inc.
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