In order to clarify the criteria for discharge, we tried to identify the factors affecting the decision making where the dementia patients will go (to their homes, to the homes for aged, or another hospitals) after discharging from the psychiatric hospital. The multiplivariate analysis method was uaed to identify the factors above. The medical and nursing charts of 123 discharged dementia patients were analysed and the questionnaires were given to 56 patients'families. The main findings were as follows : 1) The decision about where to go was depended to some degree on the level of ADL of the dementia patients. 2) As the level of ADL of the dementia patients are considerably influenced by the stages of dementia, it is difficult to evaluate the level of ADL only by their physical conditions. 3) In case of decision making where the dementia patients will go, it is important to know much about the complicated psycho-social factors of the caregivers in their family.
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