Mental and somatic health and need for care in octo- and nonagenerians. An epidemiological community study.

Mental and somatic illness, utilization of psychosocial facilities and need for care in persons aged 85 years and older were examined. Data were based on a representative community sample (n = 402) of Munich city. A total of 358 (89%) subjects of the sample were interviewed, 42 subjects (10.5%) refused, and 2 persons could not be traced. Dementia and depression had the highest prevalence of mental disorders according to the AGECAT (automated geriatric examination for computer assisted taxonomy) computer program of the Geriatric Mental State Interview. In all, 23.6% of the interviewees fulfilled criteria for depression, 25.4% for dementia. We analysed somatic illness according to mental status, the utilization of psychosocial facilities and need for care with regard to mental and somatic illness.