Geriatric Psychiatry Program

Ambulatory care services at The Royal include the Geriatric Psychiatry Day Hospital and Outpatient Services, both designed to support older adults with complex mental illness. Care is delivered by an interdisciplinary team and coordinated with other health providers involved in the patient’s care.

The Day Hospital provides short-term, intensive treatment for older adults experiencing serious mental illness. Patients attend regularly for individual assessments and group-based therapeutic programs focused on mental health, cognitive and physical function, and social well-being. The goal is to support recovery, improve quality of life, and promote independence.

Outpatient Services provide consultation and follow-up care, if needed, to older adults living in the community. Most patients transition to outpatient care after stabilization in the Day Hospital or are referred directly by a health care provider.

We care for older adults with new-onset mental illness, and those with long-standing conditions that have become more complex due to medical illness or cognitive decline. Adults under 65 with age-related dementia (Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease or frontotemporal dementia) are also seen for assessment and care.

We work in collaboration with Geriatric Psychiatry Community Services of Ottawa, sharing a referral form and triage process.

Referrals are accepted from:

• Family physicians and nurse practitioners
• Geriatricians and community psychiatrists
• Specialty psychiatrists in addictions, concurrent disorders, forensics, and neuropsychiatry

Please note: The program does not provide emergency or crisis services. Individuals requiring urgent care should be directed to an emergency department.

Behavioural Supports Ontario (BSO) provides specialized mental health services for older adults in Ontario who are living with — or at risk of — responsive behaviours related to dementia, complex mental illness, substance use, or other neurological conditions.

Responsive behaviours are expressions of distress that may arise when an individual’s needs are unmet or misunderstood. These behaviours can include agitation, restlessness, or socially inappropriate actions, and are often a response to environmental, physical, or emotional triggers.

The BSO mobile team offers in-depth assessment, consultation, and person-centred care planning. Services focus on non-pharmacological interventions and are delivered in collaboration with Behaviour Support Champions and clinical staff within long-term care homes.

The BSO team includes:

• Registered nurses
• Behaviour support outreach nurses
• Behaviour therapists
• Geriatric psychiatrists

The team also provides education, training, and mentoring for long-term care staff, families, and caregivers to support sustainable behaviour management and improve quality of life for residents.

The Royal’s Ottawa campus is home to a 43-bed inpatient unit that provides specialized care for older adults (65+) living with severe, persistent or complex psychiatric illness. Patients receive multidisciplinary assessment and treatment, with access to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) when clinically indicated.

Admission requires an evaluation and referral from a geriatric psychiatrist affiliated with a hospital, long-term care home or community-based service. Prioritization is based on clinical need and coordinated to reduce unnecessary emergency department visits where possible.

The most common conditions treated include depression, anxiety, and dementia complicated by behavioural or psychological symptoms. Average length of stay is six to eight weeks. To preserve access for patients requiring short-term, intensive treatment, admissions solely for the purpose of long-term care placement are not accepted.

Discharge planning is coordinated with The Royal’s Geriatric Outreach, Day Hospital, and Outpatient Services to ensure continuity of care following treatment.

The Royal provides consultative mental health services for residents over 65 who reside in long-term care (LTC) homes in the Ottawa-Champlain region. Services are delivered by a multidisciplinary outreach team that includes a geriatric psychiatrist. Services focus on residents with complex mental health needs.

The team provides assessment, treatment recommendations, and short-term follow-up. Care is delivered in collaboration with LTC home staff to support implementation of care plans, provide education to staff, residents, and care partners, and connect LTC homes to The Royal’s services as needed.

Access to this service requires consent from the resident or their substitute decision-maker, and a referral from the attending physician or nurse practitioner at the LTC home.

The Royal’s Rural Outreach Services provide consultation and short-term follow-up for older adults living with mental illness in rural communities surrounding Ottawa.

Care is delivered by teams that include community mental health nurses and other health professionals, in collaboration with primary care providers, families, and local supports. Each team is supported by a geriatric psychiatrist from The Royal, who offers patient assessments, treatment recommendations, education for caregivers, and guidance for local clinicians.

Outreach teams assess patients in a variety of settings, including private homes, retirement residences, long-term care homes, and local hospitals. They also support transitions to specialized services at The Royal, including inpatient care, and work closely with behaviour support teams in long-term care facilities.

This service covers multiple rural regions. Referrals are typically made by a primary care provider.

Renfrew County
(in cooperation with Pembroke Regional Hospital)
Tel.: (613) 732-2811 ext. 6500

Lanark County
Geriatric Psychiatry Community Outreach Team
Tel.: (613) 282-5699
Fax: (613) 715-5831

Leeds-Grenville County
Geriatric Psychiatry Community Outreach Team
The Royal’s Brockville campus
Tel.: (613) 345-1461 ext. 1700
Fax: (613) 498-1495

Cornwall/Tri-County
CCH Community Mental Health Services
Tel.: (613) 361-6363 ext. 8766
Fax: (613) 361-6364

Prescott-Russell Geriatric Psychiatry Service
(in cooperation with Hawkesbury Hospital)
Tel.: +1 (844) 304-1414
Fax: (613) 632-7450