Evaluation of depression in patients with alzheimer's disease according to the location of medical care

The objective of the study was to assess the severity of depression and to assess the level of self-sufficiency of patients with Alzheimer's disease, with particular emphasis on the place of residence and level of education. The study covered 90 people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. All respondents were persons over 65 years of age and residents of cities with a population over one-hundred thousand. The research method based on this work is the author's own questionnaire, the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (ZSDS) about depression and the Karnofsky Performance Scale Index (KPSI) for assessment of a patient's self-sufficiency. Regardless of residence, patients with Alzheimer's disease displayed signs of mild or moderate depression (100% in social welfare homes and hospital patients and 60% in those with caregivers at home). Patients with Alzheimer's disease have an unsatisfactory salary in social-economic terms. In those with Alzheimer's disease, quality of life is best for those in family homes under the care of their immediate family. People with a vocational education were the largest group of people diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Patients at home and in the hospital had a higher level of physical activity, but most patients in the hospital needed regular medical care, as did patients in social welfare homes.