Behavioral treatment for depression has been supported by clinical research for more than twenty-five years, but it has never been applied to older adults in hospitals or long-term care facilities. This manual fills that gap by providing non-mental health caregivers with step-by-step instructions for treating and managing depression among elderly patients. Depression in Geriatric Medical and Nursing Home Patients is a clinical manual for a variety of caregivers, including speech pathologists, nurses, occupational, physical, and recreation therapists, and nurses' aides. It describes major symptoms of depression through case studies and provides lists that enable the user to recognize and assess those conditions quickly. It then provides detailed procedures for assessing and treating depression, grounded in an explanation of the theory of behavioral treatment. The manual describes parameters for decision-making in the clinical setting and also offers practical guidelines for videotaping practice sessions as a means of increasing confidence in the successful use of the techniques described. This timely publication meets the needs of the growing segment of the health industry devoted to care of the elderly.