Journal
INTERNATIONAL PSYCHOGERIATRICS
Volume 21, Issue 5, Pages 949-965Publisher
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1017/S1041610209990147
Keywords
needs assessment; dementia; living in the community; proxy needs; subjective needs
Funding
- Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs [BSIK 03025]
- Dioraphte Foundation
- RCOAK
- NHDI
- Foundation Het Zormehuis and Stichting Alzheimer & Neuropsychiatrie Foundation
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Background: The aging society will bring an increase in the number of people with dementia living in the community. This will mean a greater demand on care and welfare services to deliver efficient and customized care, which requires a thorough understanding of subjective and objective care needs. This study aims to assess the needs of community-dwelling people with dementia as reported by themselves and by their informal carets. The study also aims to give insight into the service use and gaps between needs and the availability of services. Methods: 236 community-dwelling people with dementia and 322 informal carers were interviewed separately. (Un)met needs were assessed using the Camberwell Assessment of Needs for the Elderly (CANE). Results: Most unmet needs were experienced in the domains of memory, information, company, psychological distress and daytime activities. People with dementia reported fewer (unmet) needs than their caters. Type and severity of dementia, living situation and informal carer characteristics were related to the number of reported needs. Conclusions: This study showed a large number of unmet needs in dementia. Reasons for unmet needs are lack of knowledge about the existing service offer, a threshold to using services and insufficient services offer. These results provide a good starting point for improving community care for people with dementia.
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