Mood and general behavior of patients with severe dementia during one yearof supervised, individualized planned care and systematic clinical supervision. Comparison with a similar control group

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of one year of systematic clinical supervision, and supervised individually planned care on the mood and general behavior of patients with dementia in relation to their cognit ive function and level of confusion. The intervention was carried out in a ward devoted to the care of patients with severe dementia (EW), with a simi lar ward (CW) where no changes were made serving as a control. Each ward ho used 11 patients, of whom 7 patients in each ward survived throughout the s tudy rime. Assessment of the patients' mood, general behavior, cognitive fu nctions (MMSE), orientation and confusion (OBS) was made at baseline, and a fter 6 and 12 months of intervention. Significant deteriorations for the pa tients in CW were seen during the study period as regards the factor streng th, functional performance and orientation in the ward, and speech performa nce and psychomotor slowing. For the patients in the EW, deterioration teas seen only in the factor accessibility, and improvement was seen in the fac tor sensitivity and euphoria. The differences indicated that the developmen t in the two wards went in opposite directions to the benefit of the patien ts in the EW. Because of the small sample size, the findings are more the r esult of a pilot trial, rather than generalizable. The intervention, howeve r, seemed to have a positive effect on the secondary symptoms of the diseas e. (Aging Clin. Exp. Res. 11: 395-403, 1999) (C)1999. Editrice Kurtis.