[Dementias and management of elderly patients by the Mannheim social service].

The management of dementing disorders among the elderly is gaining in importance as a public-health objective. In recent years, a number of studies in Germany have indicated a relatively high frequency of organic brain syndromes among the elderly patients of the "Sozialstationen" (community nursing services). A survey was carried out of all over-65-year-old patients (n = 1842) cared for during one month by such units in the city of Mannheim. The level of cognitive functioning of each patient was rated by the nurses, and the different forms of care provided were recorded. The research findings confirm that dementia and related conditions occur frequently in this patient population. The nurses rated 11 per cent of the patients as clinically demented and a further 14 per cent as suffering from milder cognitive disorders ("mild dementia"). While the number of items of care directly related to medical treatment remained fairly constant, the frequency of all measures of basic nursing care increased in direct proportion to the degree of the patient's cognitive impairment. These findings have implications for the future organization and development of community nursing services.