Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 January 2005
The proportion of institutionalized and noninstitutionalized demented people differs among countries. In the Kungsholmen study in Sweden, in the total population 75 years and older, around 50% of the demented people lived in their own homes and 50% lived in various types of institutions. In the future, it may not be possible, for ideological and financial reasons, to build new institutions to take care of the increasing number of dependent and ill elderly. Home care with support for relatives, day care, and collective living are better alternatives for some demented people.