Community service issues before nursing home placement of persons with dementia.

Family caregivers of persons with dementia (N = 98) [corrected] who placed their relative in a nursing home while participating in a longitudinal study were surveyed about their experiences with community services (adult day care, in-home services, and physician home visits). One third (34%) of the sample reported that at least one service issue (affordability, eligibility, access, or service quality) had a strong influence on the nursing home placement, whereas 40% reported that the availability of at least one additional service would have delayed the nursing home placement of their relative. Caregivers who were employed reported higher levels of unmet service needs. The results of this study support the existence of a group of dementia caregivers with a high need for and willingness to use community service interventions in the preinstitutional period.