GROUP-LIVING CARE - AN ALTERNATIVE FOR THE DEMENTED ELDERLY

Group-living (GL) care as an alternative to traditional long-term care for elderly demented people is rapidly proliferating across Sweden. I n engineering the psychosocial and physical environment according to t he competence and needs of moderately and moderately to severely demen ted patients, therapeutic effects on symptoms can be achieved during a period of the dementing process. The background, implementation and o utcome of a concept of GL care developed for patients suffering from d ementia of Alzheimer type (DAT), vascular dementia (VD) and mixed DAT and VD is presented as is the role of GL in the total dementia care of a community.