Study: 70% of nursing home residents have dementia

A new study has found that 70 percent of a randomly selected group of nursing home residents showed signs of dementia or cognitive impairment.

Only a small number of the participants have been diagnosed by a specialist, according to the new study, conducted by Maria Skaalum Petersen, a researcher at the Department of Occupational and Public Health, in collaboration with the Faroese Alzheimer Association.

The results show that roughly half of the study participants had not received a diagnosis of dementia or cognitive impairment prior to the study.

Petersen says that a higher number of residents in nursing homes should be offered screening for dementia to ensure that they receive correct treatment.

Based on the study results, the researcher suggests mandatory dementia care training for all staff at nursing homes. She also recommends either a significant increase in the number of care places for patients with dementia or an increase in the ratio of staff to the number of dementia patients in nursing homes.

The study consisted of 232 participants and did not include elderly care residents in designated dementia wards, those already diagnosed with dementia and those incapable of giving their consent to participate.

Translated by prosa.fo