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Abstract

Patients in a Veterans Administration medical center were classified according to whether or not they presented significant outplacement problems on discharge. Those with discharge problems were older and suffered more often from multiple medical problems. Pulmonary, cardiovascular, central nervous system, and behavioral problems all occurred significantly more often in this group. Based on the Older Americans Resources and Services (OARS) interview technique, these patients were also significantly more impaired in "social resources, " "mental health, "and "activities of daily living " than patients without discharge problems. These data contribute to establishing the validity of the OARS in the context of outplacement of the medically disabled elderly and suggest a profile of medical and nonmedical variables related to overall dysfunctioning in the medically disabled elderly person.

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Psychosocial and Physiomedical Factors Affecting Outplacement of the Medically Disabled Elderly

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