Dementia in medical wards

Abstract

Patients aged 65 years and over admitted to one Department of Medicine in a University Hospital were evaluated for the frequency and types of dementia, and for the greater workload caused by the demented patients to the hospital. The frequency of moderate and severe dementia among consecutively admitted medical inpatients (N = 282) of all age groups was 12.1%. In the age-group 65-69 years it was 5.7%, and among the patients aged 80 and over 20.7%. Of all the patients at the wards in a one-day sample (N = 85), 40% were moderately or severely demented. Patients with vascular dementia constituted 69.4%, those with primary degenerative dementia 16.1%, and those with dementia due to specific causes 14.5% of all demented patients. The demented patients needed more daily nursing care and their mean hospitalization time was longer than that of the non-demented patients.