[Risk of temporary inpatient admission of the aged during the vacation of care-providing family members].

104 chronically ill patients of an average age of 82.7 years were accommodated on geriatric wards of hospitals totaling 152 times during vacation, stay at a health resort, or illness of their attending relatives. On average, they stayed in hospital for 3 to 4 weeks. Main diagnoses were cerebrovascular circulatory disturbances or condition after insultus, chronic ischaemic heart disease, and tumor diseases. The morbidity rate during that stay was 9.2%, the mortality rate 6.8%. In 8 out of 10 cases the immediate cause of death was directly causally associated with the primary disease. Any severe nosocomial infections did not occur. The authors consider the risk of the temporary hospitalization of people in need of care for the temporary relief of their relatives, with regard to the patient's age and primary diseases, as justifiable.