Primary care and general hospital physicians mainly provide psychogeriatric services in Nigeria. The sick elderly are seen in primary health and general hospital facilities. A number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) look after the elderly, providing health maintenance programs, but also attend to some mental health problems. Only one teaching hospital provides outpatient geriatric psychiatry service, but a few centers provide psycho-education to caregivers of demented patients. Nursing homes are few and their establishment is not encouraged, they are reserved for admission of destitute elderly persons. The goal for future is to train primary health physicians to provide improved services while encouraging teaching hospitals to establish more specialized units.
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