PREDICTORS OF MORTALITY AND INSTITUTIONALIZATION IN ALZHEIMER-DISEASEPATIENTS 1 YEAR AFTER-DISCHARGE FROM AN ALZHEIMER DEMENTIA UNIT

Several factors have been reported to predict death and institutionali zation in Institutionalization demented patients, even if the results of the studies are often conflicting. We Skills in daily living conduc ted a study on a group of 86 consecutive noninstitutionalized probable Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer disease (AD) patients, to evaluate clin ical and social factors predicting mortality and institutionalization 1 year after discharge from the Alzheimer Dementia Unit at 'Sacro Cuor e Fatebenefratelli' Hospital, Brescia, Italy. The I-year mortality rat e was 13.9% and the 1-year rate of admission to a nursing home was 34% . Our data indicate that the number of lost functions on the Activity of Daily Living scale is the most important predictor of short-term mo rtality, independently of the degree of cognitive impairment, the dura tion of the dementia, the age of the patients and the number of chroni c diseases. Our data also demonstrate that, in a short period of obser vation, behavioral disturbances (and in particular insomnia) and avail ability of social services play a major role in the decision to instit utionalize AD patients.