An assessment of relief hospital admissions for elderly patients with dementia.

Twenty-five relief admissions for elderly patients with dementia were studied in order to examine the effects of the respite care on the principal carer: 68% of the patients were severely impaired (maximally dependent); 28% markedly impaired (highly dependent). Despite some reservations, carers perceived relief admissions as beneficial to many aspects of their lives and in some cases essential if patients were to remain in the community. It is argued that relief admissions are an essential part of a comprehensive service for patients with dementia in the community.