Réflexions sur la place de l'hôpital de jour dans la filière de soins gériatrique

Day hospitals with geriatric orientation have evolved over these last years. Statutory texts have recently structured their mission, which has contributed to their pedigree and established an activity, which in the beginning, was hardly homogenous. The Association for the Promotion of Day Hospitals for the Elderly (APHJPA) has also contributed to the promotion of its place in the geriatric care network, and encouraged the exchanges between professionals, institutions and authorities. Day hospitals with geriatric orientation are a privileged place of interaction and coordination within the multi- and interdisciplinary framework, allowing the coherent management in complex situation care, and in problems of hierarchical organization. They are important because of their expertise mission, combined with those of care and rehabilitation. They establish a dynamic interface between the geriatric medical network and the social sector, thus permitting the de-compartmentalization in the management of elderly persons. Their implication in clinical research is increasing, notably in the field of neurodegenerative diseases.