Objective - To assess if and how demented patients' living conditions
affect their level of functioning. Design - A prospective concurrent c
ontrol-study. Setting - Sundsvall, an industrial community in the midd
le of Sweden. Participants - Forty-six demented patients in group-livi
ng (GL-group) and 62 controls (C-group). Main outcome measure - Cognit
ive function, ADL-capacity and behaviour were measured every third mon
th during one year. Results - Both groups deteriorated, but the declin
e was significantly slower in the GL-group regarding some ADL-function
s, e.g. dressing and motor functions, whereas some behavioural disturb
ances 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 fo
cus of future research.