ABOUT NEWTON MEDICAL CENTER PSYCHIATRY- NEWTON, KS
Newton Medical Center Psychiatry, located in Newton, Kansas, offers inpatient treatment to older adults struggling with an acute crisis from mental illness. The psychiatric unit is named, “The Generations Unit” and is a service of the Newton Medical Center.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
The Generations Unit features 12 beds in a locked, secure unit and focuses on evaluating and treating mental illness associated with aging. To be admitted to the unit, prospective clients must be medically stable, require geriatric psychiatric nursing care for 24 hours per day as well as close supervision by a physician, and have the potential to improve their functional skills. A telephone pre-admission screening must first be completed to determine eligibility.
The typical client is age 55 or older and experiencing new mental health concerns. These concerns may include a change in cognitive status such as disorientation, delusions, or hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, self-destructive behavior, aggressive behavior, or changes in sleep, appetite, or mood. Clients may also be experiencing new difficulty with performing activities of daily living, withdrawn or isolating behavior, or in need of medical detoxification from alcohol or drugs. Common mental illness diagnoses include Alzheimer’s or other dementias, psychotic disorders, major depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, or substance abuse.
The unit is designed to feel like a home in order to help clients work through their mental health issues and build social skills. Families are included in the treatment program and are readily welcomed to participate in treatment with their loved ones. Treatment methods include individualized and group activities, psychosocial sessions with a Licensed Master’s Social Worker, and animal-assisted therapy. The Generations Unit is Music & Memory certified facility.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
The treatment team includes two advanced practice nurses, registered nurses, and master’s degree social workers.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
The facility offers 12 beds in a home-like setting. The unit features private rooms with individual bathrooms, a private dining room for the unit, and a common activity room and living area.
REVIEWS
At the time of this writing there has been one friend or family member polled by Best-rehabs.com. The anonymous loved one gave a mixed review of the psychiatric unit but overall had a positive experience. He gave the facility two out of five stars for treatment effectiveness, three stars for accommodations & amenities, and four stars for meals & nutrition. The loved one strongly agreed that the facility was clean and well maintained and that family and loved ones were able to participate in treatment through facility programming. He also agreed there were many counseling options to choose from depending on the client’s preference and that the facility staff were experienced and well-trained. The loved felt that a strength of the facility was that it also helped him accept himself for who he was. He wrote additional commentary adding, “She [loved one] has been clean 9 years Now so me and my family truly grateful for the rehab in newton.”
On the facility’s Facebook page, which it can manage, there is an overall rating of 3.9 out of five stars based on 202 total reviews.[1] However, the reviews were all regarding the medical center as a whole, none were specifically regarding the psychiatric unit. On the facility’s Google page, there is an overall rating of 2.8 out of five stars based on 25 total reviews.[2] Again, none of the reviews were specifically regarding the psychiatric unit.
FINANCING
Payment for treatment at The Generations Unit is processed through Newton Medical Center; the exact cost of treatment is not published. Newton Medical Center accepts insurance but does not provide a list of which specific insurance plans are accepted. Financial assistance is available for clients who qualify; a health care assistance application must be submitted.
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