PROFILING THE CARE NEEDS OF THE POPULATION WITH DEMENTIA - A SURVEY IN CENTRAL SCOTLAND

Objective. To demonstrate a low-cost method of producing local informa tion for dementia service planning. Design. (1) Multiservice census. ( 2) Stratified random sample survey (stratified by setting) to assess n eeds. Setting. All community and institutional settings in Forth Valle y Health Board area. Participants. (1) People age 65+ defined by healt h and social care professionals as having 'problems of memory/confusio n (as is caused by dementia)' (N = 2060). (2) As (1) excluding those w ith score <2 on Levin's checklist and no relevant known diagnosis (N = 286). Main outcome measures. Coverage of population with dementia aga inst EURODEM prevalence. Place of residence of sufferers. Level of car e needs. Main results. Identified population, pro-rating for identifia ble non-response, accounted for 78% of EURODEM prevalence. Assuming un identified 22% to live at home, 45% of total population with dementia were in some form of institutional care. Survey demonstrated high leve ls of need in local population with dementia known to services. Assist ance was required more than once a day with mobility by 48%, personal care by 60%, domestic tasks by 75% and because of behavioural problems by 57%. Assistance was required at night by 59% because of personal c are needs and by 54% because of behaviour problems. Conclusion. The va lue of a broad-based survey 'snapshot' across the range of settings wa s confirmed. It can be accomplished relatively quickly and cheaply and complements information collected in other ways. (C) 1997 by John Wil ey & Sons, Ltd.