Senile dementia, Alzheimer's type: the family and the health care delivery system.

Senile dementia is one of the important medical-social-economic problems facing our society, estimated to affect some 60% of nursing home patients and of persons residing in the community. The course of dementia in these patients is affected not only by their age, medical complications, and the disease itself, but also by where and with whom they live. A study was made of patients with senile dementia, Alzheimer's type (SDAT) in the community, and the kinds of caretakers involved. The implications of these patterns for management of the patients are discussed.