[Residential movement of persons with senile dementia within one year prior to death]

The purpose of this study was to clarify what factors were affecting the residential movement of persons with senile dementia, within one year prior to their death, and to find out ways to sustain the quality of life of the terminal period. We analyzed ninety-six cases of the members of the Association of Family Caring for the Demented Elderly, who died within the period from 1989 to 1991. 1. The average age of death of the elderly persons was 83.2 years. Seventy-four percent had severe dementia. Fifty-five percent had complications of cancer, cardiopathy or apoplexy. 2. Thirty-three percent of the patients in the analyzed cases died at home, sixty percent died in hospitals, and seven percent died elsewhere. Only a few had been hospitalized for more than one year. 3. There were four major movement patterns: care at home and death at home, periodic hospitalization before death at home, periodic hospitalization before death at hospital, and hospitalization and death at hospital. Each of the four patterns had unique characteristics regarding both physical and mental disorders. 4. Those persons with periodic hospitalization before death at home had more care in regards to discharge guidance than those with periodic hospitalization before death at hospital. From the above analysis, we concluded that persons with senile dementia in their terminal period require preventative treatments against advanced dementia and the various complications. In addition they need effective discharge planning at medical institutions.