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Support networks and dementia
Author(s) -
Wenger G. Clare
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/gps.930090303
Subject(s) - dementia , medicine , psychology , degenerative disease , gerontology , central nervous system disease , neuroscience , disease
Based on data from a sample of 4500+ people aged 65+ living in the community (ie not in residential care) in Liverpool, this article presents data on the availability of kin and levels of contact with family, friends neighbours and community groups, and compares the distribution of support network types of those identified as cases of dementia with non‐cases. It is shown that dementia sufferers are more likely to live with others and to have more contact with family members and less contact with friends, neighbours and community groups than non‐sufferers. It is also shown that the distribution of network type is distinctively different for cases and non‐cases and it is suggested that this reflects the greater ability of some types of network to support continued community residence in the face of the onset of dementia.