[Epidemiology of dementia and regional health care concepts for dementia patients and relatives].

The prevalence of dementia varies according to the definitions used but shows always an exponential increase with age, a doubling by every five years increase from 60-95 years. Due to the aging of the baby boom generation a doubling of dementia prevalence in the next 50 years is to be expected. Alzheimer's disease is the most frequent cause of dementia. Combinations with vascular, Lewybody, frontotemporal and other causes of dementia are much more frequent than first considered. They all give rise to severe dementia despite only mild Alzheimer changes in the brain. However, a therapeutic response may be expected from cholinergic therapy. Since this pharmacotherapy of dementia only leads to a limited delay of 6-10 months in the progression of dementia, combinations with psychosocial measures such as caregiver-education and care-planning are necessary. We therefore need centers of excellence, such as memory clinics or psychogeriatric counselling centers throughout Switzerland.