ABSTRACT
The proportion of people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related disorders cared for in different settings in Sweden has increased during the last 25 years. For example, while in 1975 about one-third of all beds were occupied by a person with dementia in Sweden, this proportion had increased to about two-thirds in 2000 (Table 19.1). The data in Table 19.1 are drawn from eight different sample times, performed with the same instrument1 and in the same county in Sweden. The only purpose-built institutions for care of people with severe symptoms of dementia in Sweden are socalled group livings. These are small units with 6 to 10 persons living together and cared for in a homelike environment. The prevalence of patients with dementia is of course high in these institutions. However, a vast majority of the patients with severe dementia are cared for in non-purpose-built environments such as nursing homes and service houses. These settings often consist of a physical environment, a staff/patient ratio and a competence among the staff not quite adequate to meet the needs of people with severe dementia.
