Care for demented patients in different living conditions: Effects on cognitive function, ADL-capacity and behaviour

摘要

Objective - To assess if and how demented patients’ living conditions affect their level of functioning.Design - A prospective concurrent control-study.Setting - Sundsvall, an industrial community in the middle of Sweden.Participants - Forty-six demented patients in group-living (GL-group) and 62 controls (C-group).Main outcome measure - Cognitive function, ADL-capacity and behaviour were measured every third month during one year.Results - Both groups deteriorated, but the decline was significantly slower in the GL-group regarding some ADL-functions, e.g. dressing and motor functions, whereas some behavioural disturbances were significantly more frequent in the GL-group. No differences were observed regarding the level of cognitive function. Conclusion - the living condition has small effects on cognitive function and ADL-capacity. the behavioural disturbances observed in GL should be the focus of future research.