§ Mr. Andrew Bowdenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he is taking to establish a precise means of defining those people who may be categorised as the elderly mentally infirm.
§ Mr. John PattenIn recent years the Department has followed professional practice in abandoning the distinction formerly made between elderly people with mental illness and those suffering from forms of dementia. It is now accepted that a specialised service for the "psychiatry of old age" is required. Guidance on the development of such a service is contained in the Health Advisory Service's report "The Rising Tide," issued in 1983, a copy of which is in the Library. If my hon. Friend has a particular problem in mind, no doubt he will let me know.