[Home care of demented and non-demented patients. I: Utilization of professional home care services].

1911 informal caregivers from the Federal Republic of Germany who care for someone with a chronic, non-congenital condition rendering them in need of physical "hands-on" nursing completed a standardized questionnaire on their situation as caregivers. The informants were found through magazine advertisements as well as through dissemination of the questionnaires via contact persons in the social services. Predictors of whether use is made of professional help or not (in-home respite and/or day-care and/or temporary institutional respite) are--independent of the reasons why help is necessary--the extent of the help that is needed and the absence of support with the family. Sociodemographic variables, that are age, sex, income, and education have no influence.