ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Evaluation the activities of the dementia support care team (D-CAST). METHOD: A total of 350 patients received intervention from the D-CAST from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2017. At the beginning and end of the team intervention, the following items were evaluated: changes in the degree of life independence, period (days) from hospitalization to team intervention, request for team intervention, and duration of hospitalization. RESULTS: The average age of the 350 patients in this study was 81±9 years old. The major diseases causing hospitalization were heart failure in 94 patients (27%) and aortic valve disease for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in 45 patients (13%). The main reasons for requesting team intervention were cognitive impairment in 40% and delirium (prevention included) in 36%. Regarding the change in the degree of life independence, 29 people saw improvement (16%), 165 maintained their degree of independence (66%), and 46 experienced a decrease (18%). The team intervention was delayed as criteria for degree of independence of everyday life was lower for mild patients. CONCLUSION: We need to learn how to assess dementia patients with relatively mild life independence (potentially including mild cognitive impairment).