In 2024, a new form of psychiatric care for Styrian children and young people will be introduced: so-called home treatment will start in the Graz region. Specialists visit the young patients at home, treat them on site and involve their family members. This means that the children do not have to stay in the hospital and can continue to go to school.
The Styrian State Health Council Karlheinz Kornhäusl (ÖVP) is making 1.7 million euros available to start the new program next year. This means that initially six to seven young people can be cared for in an intensive phase, with specialists coming to their home several times a week for the first month and a half. The intensive phase is followed by weekly sessions.
For the time being, about 40 young patients will be able to be cared for at the same time, says Isabel Böge, head of the department of child and adolescent psychiatry at the LKH Graz II, South location.
Böge contributed to the development of the model, which was new in Austria, in Germany twelve years ago and is convinced of the method: “Home treatment is like a ward-replacement treatment that can be used when removal from the home environment does not seem sensible.”
This may be the case, for example, if the entire family must be involved in care or if social aspects play a role in the mental illness. This means that the young patients can continue to go to school and do not have to go without friends.
If successful it will be expanded
If the home treatment gets off to a good start, it will be expanded to other regions in Styria in the coming years. This will result in correspondingly higher costs, but in the medium term up to 24 children could be cared for simultaneously in an intensive phase when they are fully developed.
The offer does not replace the 20 acute beds and 33 other hospital beds – it is a supplementary offer, Kornhäusl emphasizes.
Nine million euros more
In addition to the new home treatment, the total funding for the psychosocial sector and social psychiatry in Styria for 2024 will be significantly increased – from 37 to 46 million euros. This includes an increase in the number of full-time equivalents from 34.3 to 49.5 in the field of specialist medical care, psychotherapy, social work and other related specialties.
The psychiatric crisis hotline ‘Psy-Not’ will also receive around 1.7 million euros next year, around 600,000 euros more than in 2023. The suicide prevention ‘Go-On’ will receive 1.3 million euros, around 130,000 euros. more.
The Rainbows Association will receive 101,000 euros next year for the care of children and young people after the divorce of parents or the death of close family members. Also new in 2024 is the school project ‘Crazy? – So what!”, which will also be extended to primary schools.
Source: Krone
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