title: Day care for dementia patients from a family caregiver's point of view: a questionnaire study on expected quality and predictors of utilisation - Part II.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The investigation of the predictive variables for utilisation of day care and the views of family caregivers of dementia patients about quality of day care are the goals of this work.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cross-sectional study was carried out as an anonymous written survey of family caregivers of dementia patients in Germany. Participants were 404 family caregivers of dementia patients, of these 128 were users of day care, 269 were non-users and 7 gave no details about utilisation. Qualitative and quantitative data were analysed using qualitative content analysis and binary logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The assessment of how helpful day care is for the individual care situation and the age of the family caregiver are significant predictors for utilisation of day care. Caregivers most frequently cited a programme of activities suited to the abilities of the dementia patients as quality criterion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In order to reduce the number of those caregivers who think they don't need day care compared with the number who really don't need it, caregivers should be transparently informed of the relevant advantages and quality principles of using day care. According to caregivers' wishes, the organisation of day care centres must include activities suited for dementia patients.
authors.affiliation: Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Erlangen University Hospital, Germany. carolin.donath@uk-erlangen.de
authors.forename: Carolin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Donath
authors.forename: Angelika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.forename: Elmar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Graessel
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Luttenberger
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003631:Day Care, Medical / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003704:Dementia / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires