[Occurrence of senile dementia among elderly in need of support in the municipality of Grimstad].

The background for this study is the common belief in the community of Grimstad that aluminium is related to dementia; the high aluminium content in the local water supply is an ongoing source of concern. In this study we show that the prevalence of dementia among elderly in Grimstad is not higher than in the city of Bergen. We also discuss the demands the community must meet to care for the growing population of demented elderly.