Dementia day care and its effects on symptoms and institutionalization--a controlled Swedish study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the effects of Day Care (DC) on demented patients.


METHODS
A prospective non-randomized concurrent-control study.


METHODS
55 demented patients in DC and 44 controls.


METHODS
Sundsvall, an industrial community in northern Sweden.


METHODS
Cognition, ADL-functions, behaviour and institutionalization.


RESULTS
Measurements of cognition, ADL-functions, and behaviour showed no or only small differences between the groups. After one year, 24% of the patients in the DC-group were institutionalized, compared with 44% of the controls. In the control group, the exhaustion of spouse and supervision need were highly correlated to institutionalization (p < 0.001), while high physical nursing load was correlated to institutionalization in the DC-group (p < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
DC postpones institutionalization, probably because of less exhaustion of spouses and decreased supervision need.
Wimo
A
A
Primary Health Care Research Unit, Sundsvall, Sweden.
Mattsson
B
B
Adolfsson
R
R
Eriksson
T
T
Nelvig
A
A
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D003631:Day Care, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003704:Dementia / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007326:Institutionalization / Q000639:trends*; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D013548:Sweden