title: Relationship between care dependency and behavioral symptoms among elderly in-patients with Alzheimer's disease in Japan and the Netherlands.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigates the influence of personal characteristics and health-related variables on the care dependency status among elderly in-patients with clinically diagnosed Alzheimer's disease in two countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive cross-cultural survey was administered to a convenience sample of 137 elderly in-patients. Patients were recruited from a hospital in Japan (N = 77) and from a nursing home in the Netherlands (N = 60).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In both countries, almost all participants are assessed on the severity level of care dependency in the range of "completely care dependent" (Japan: 35.1%; the Netherlands: 20.0%), or "to a great extent care dependent" (Japan: 24.7%; the Netherlands: 45.0%), to "partially care dependent" (Japan: 22.1%; the Netherlands: 21.7%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrates that there is no interdependence between the severity level of care dependency and personal characteristics of patients with Alzheimer's disease in both countries. Regarding the interplay of health-related variables on the severity level of care dependency, a difference was found between countries.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Healthcare and Wellbeing, NHL University of Applied Sciences, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ate
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dijkstra
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, HamamatsuUniversitySchool of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan.
authors.forename: Mizue
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Institute of Healthcare and Wellbeing, NHL University of Applied Sciences, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hetty
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kazimier
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Medicine & Nursing, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan; Sakuma Hospital, Hamamatsu, Japan.
authors.forename: Miyuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.affiliation: Sakuma Hospital, Hamamatsu, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saegusa
keywords: Behavioral problems; care dependency; dementia; institutional care; international comparison