PREVALENCE OF DEMENTIA AMONG PATIENTS REFERRED TO AN AGED CARE ASSESSMENT TEAM AND ASSOCIATED STRESS IN THEIR CARERS

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of dementi a among patients referred to an aged care assessment team and to compa re levels of burden and psychological morbidity between carers of cogn itively normal persons and carers of people with dementia, in this pop ulation. Validated cognitive tests were administered to participants d rawn from a random sample of all persons referred to the North West Ho spital Aged Care Assessment Team, and diagnoses of dementia were made according to ICD-10 criteria. Available carers were assessed for psych ological morbidity and burden with the General Health Questionnaire an d the Zarit Family Burden Interview. Of 100 patients selected, 78 were assessed, of whom 34 (44 per cent) were cognitively normal and 34 (44 per cent) fulfilled ICD-10 criteria for dementia. A further 8 (10 per cent) had cognitive impairment not meeting the criteria for dementia. There was a high level of psychological morbidity and burden among th e carers of both the cognitively normal patients and the dementia suff erers, which was largely accounted for by the patients' physical disab ility, This has implications for the adequate provision of health care and services to both patientsand carers of this population. Adequate education of members of aged care assessment teams in the identificati on of dementia and their ability to refer to appropriate dementia-spec ific services and provide counselling for carers requires future plann ing.