Senile Dementia

Elderly people suffering from senile dementia represent one of the most pressing but ill-provided groups for health and social services today. They are frequently neglected, much under researched and provide a major challenge for health and welfare agencies. Hitherto there have been few detailed reports of the problem and how services should respond or be provided. This book begins by reviewing the nature of the problem and then provides detailed data on the whole spectrum of services in a particular locality. The enquiry focuses on two locations: one a city, the other a small town and compares the two. The opinions of different professional groups are reported and a survey of one hundred elderly sufferers reveals the reality behind the assumptions. Overall, the author highlights many of the difficulties in providing a suitable mix of services for this particular client group. This book should be of interest to health planners and policy-makers, health and social service professionals caring for the elderly.